Absorbent article having a fastening system with low stiffness

ABSTRACT

An absorbent article is provided. The absorbent article includes a bodyside liner, an outer cover, and an absorbent core between the liner and the outer cover. The absorbent article further includes a pair of ears extending outward from the opposite sides of the absorbent article, and a fastening system having a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system. The primary fastening system includes a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article. The secondary fastening system includes a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding secondary first fastening component on the outer surface of the article. Each of the secondary first fastening components has a stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 185 milligrams according to a Gurley Stiffness Test.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to absorbent articles intendedfor personal wear, and more particularly to disposable absorbentarticles having a fastening system for selectively fastening andrefastening the article about the wearer.

Many absorbent articles intended for personal wear, such as diapers,training pants, feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products,bandages, medical garments and the like are designed to be sufficientlyabsorbent to absorb moisture from liquid body exudates including urine,menses, blood, etc., away from the wearer to reduce skin irritationcaused by prolonged wetness exposure. Diapers, as an example, aretypically placed and secured on a wearer using a set of primaryfastening tabs, such as adhesive tabs or mechanical (e.g., hook or loop)fastening system tabs, and left in place to absorb insults as well as tocontain fecal waste.

For articles where the attachment is refastenable, such as diapers andsome training pants, pop-opens (separation of the fasteners) cansometimes occur as a result of stresses placed on the attachment bymovement of the wearer. For example, and particularly for absorbentarticles employing only one fastening system, as an infant or otherwearer of the absorbent article moves about (e.g., crawls, walks, runs,bends, etc.) the shear stress placed on the fastening system due to theinfant's movement may cause fastening tabs or the like to loosen or evencome unfastened completely, resulting in an absorbent article whichtends to leak, sag, or fall off of a wearer.

Accordingly, some known absorbent articles comprise more than onefastening system and/or fasteners to reduce the likelihood of thearticle leaking, sagging, falling off the user, etc. For example, FIG. 1illustrates a known diaper, indicated generally at 10, comprising twofastening systems: a primary fastening system and a secondary fasteningsystem. FIG. 1 depicts the diaper 10 in an unfolded and laid flatcondition to show an outer cover 32 of the diaper which faces away froma wearer when the diaper is worn. The diaper 10 has a longitudinaldirection 12 and a lateral direction 14.

In the longitudinal direction 12, the diaper 10 defines a front portion16, a back portion 18, and a crotch portion 20 extending between andconnecting the front portion and the back portion. The diaper 10 alsoincludes a bodyside liner 30 (facing away from the view depicted in FIG.1), and an absorbent core 34 located between the bodyside liner and theouter cover 32. The diaper 10 has opposite longitudinal side edges 28that extend between a back waist edge 38 and a front waist edge 40. Thediaper 10 also includes a pair of longitudinally-extending leg cuffs 36.The leg cuffs 36 may be adapted to fit about the legs of a wearer in useand serve as a mechanical barrier to the lateral flow of body exudates.

The back portion 18 of the diaper 10 includes a pair of back ears,indicated generally at 22. Each ear 22 includes a primary firstfastening component 24 as part of the primary fastening system used tosecure the diaper 10 around the waist of a wearer. The primary fasteningsystem also comprises a primary second fastening component 76 forselectively receiving and fastening to the primary first fasteningcomponents 24. For example, the diaper 10 can be selectively moved froman unfastened configuration (as seen in FIG. 1) to a fastened or wearconfiguration by attaching the back waist region 18 (and morespecifically the back ears 22) to the front waist region 16 to define athree-dimensional wear configuration of the diaper having a waistopening and a pair of leg openings. More particularly, the diaper 10 canbe selectively moved from the unfastened configuration to the wearconfiguration by fastening the primary first fastening components 24 tothe primary second fastening components 76 as is well known in the art.

The diaper 10 also includes a secondary fastening system comprisingsecondary first fastening components 26 and secondary second fasteningcomponents 78. For example, the illustrated diaper 10 comprises a pairof secondary first fastening components 26 as part of the front portion16 of the diaper, with a secondary second fastening component 78provided on each back ear 22. In such configurations, when the diaper 10is moved to the wear configuration, the secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 engages the back portion 18 of the diaper (and moreparticularly, the secondary second fastening components 78 provided onthe back ears 22) such that both the primary fastening system and thesecondary fastening system secure the diaper around the waist of awearer.

However, providing the secondary first fastening components 26 on thediaper 10 may pose drawbacks when the diaper is packaged or ultimatelyworn. For example, with respect to packaging, the diaper 10 may befolded when provided to an end user in a package as depicted in FIG. 2.Specifically, during manufacturing, packaging, or the like, the diaper10 may be first tri-folded by folding the diaper along or near twolongitudinal fold lines 42, such that the portions of the diaperprovided outwardly of the fold lines (i.e., the portions closest to thelongitudinal side edges 28) of the diaper are folded underneath theportion of the diaper located between the two longitudinal fold lines.When folded underneath, the portions disposed outwardly of the foldlines 42 may overlap one another underneath a portion of the diaper 10containing the absorbent core 34. The diaper 10 may then be bi-foldedalong or near lateral fold line 44 such that the back waist edge 38 isgenerally aligned with the front waist edge 40 in the foldedconfiguration.

When the diaper 10 is folded in the conventional manner described above,the secondary first fastening components 26 (which are disposed at orinward of the fold line 42) may be partially or fully disposed on anoutside of the folded diaper (as illustrated in FIG. 2). Moreparticularly, and as best seen in FIG. 1, the longitudinal fold lines 42may be provided outward (i.e., closer to the longitudinal side edges 28)than the edges of the absorbent core 34. However, because the secondaryfirst fastening components 26 are provided near or even abutting theabsorbent core 34, the diaper 10 will be folded such that the secondaryfirst fastening components 26 are disposed on or (as illustrated inFIG. 1) even inboard of the fold lines 42. Thus, when the folded diaper10 is ultimately provided in a stack within a package provided to theend user (as depicted in FIG. 3), the secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 will be disposed on the outside of a diaper and may engagean adjoining diaper. More specifically, the secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 of a first diaper 10 in a stack may engage the outer cover32 of an adjoining diaper. Thus, when removing a diaper 10 from thestack of diapers for use, a user may have to forcibly separate thediaper from an adjoining (and attached) diaper. This may result indelaminating, tearing, etc., one or both of the adjoining diapers 10.

Further, because in such a configuration the secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 are disposed on the outside of the diaper 10, the foldeddiaper may engage other diapers or other objects during a packagingprocess. For example, the diaper 10 may be folded as described andsubsequently packaged via, e.g., an automated process, a machine line, aconveyor belt, an assembly line, or the like. When the secondary firstfastening components 26 are provided on the outside of the folded diaper10 as is depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, during this packaging process (e.g.,during movement down a conveyor belt, stacking the diapers in consumerpackaging, etc.) the diaper may be prone to catching on other objectsand/or other diapers via the exposed secondary first fasteningcomponents. This may cause damage to the diapers 10 ultimately packagedand/or cause delays in the manufacturing or packaging process.

Some known diapers avoid such problems by disposing a pair of fasteningcomponents (similar to the depicted secondary first fastening components26) at or near a corresponding side edge 28 of the diaper 10 such thatit will ultimately be disposed on an inside of the diaper when folded asdescribed above. However, when such fastening components are disposed ator near the corresponding longitudinal side edge 28, the secondary firstfastening component 26 may be prone to engaging a portion the bodysideliner 30 or a containment flap (not shown) of the diaper 10 when in thefolded state. This may lead to, e.g., delamination or tearing of thebodyside liner 30 or the containment flap when the diaper 10 is unfoldedfor use.

Further, in such configurations, one of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 may engage the bodyside liner 30 and/or a flap, with theother secondary first fastening component engaging the outer cover 32.Thus, when a user unfolds the diaper 10, the user must complete twosteps. That is, the user must first separate a first of the secondaryfirst fastening components 26 from the outer cover 32 of the diaper 10(to unfold the diaper along the lateral fold line 44), and then wouldneed to separate a second of the secondary first fastening componentsfrom the bodyside liner 30 and/or flaps (to unfold the diaper along thepair of longitudinal fold lines 42). Thus, in such configurations, thediaper 10 may be difficult to prepare when placing the diaper on awearer (e.g., an infant).

For example, and returning to FIG. 1, if each secondary first fasteningcomponent 26 were disposed at or near a corresponding side edge 28 ofthe diaper 10 rather than near the absorbent core 34, when the diaper istri-folded as discussed, each secondary first fastening component wouldbe disposed very near a center line of the diaper at a location wherethe front portion 16 of the diaper overlaps itself. In such embodiments,one of the secondary first fasteners 26 may engage the bodyside liner 30(and/or a containment flap, not shown) of the diaper at this overlappingregion. In such a configuration, when a user pulls the folded diaper 10apart for use (i.e., when the user disengages the secondary firstfastening components 26 from the bodyside liner 30) the bodyside linermay become delaminated or tear. This may result in the secondary firstfastening components 26 retaining residual pieces of the torn bodysideliner 30 (leading to a less effective secondary fastening system),and/or the torn bodyside liner causing discomfort to the wearer,leaking, and/or being aesthetically unpleasing to a user of the diaper10.

Further, when the secondary first fastening components are disposed atthe overlapping region, a first of the secondary first fasteningcomponents will be disposed below and overlapped by the front portion 16of the diaper 10, with a second of the secondary first fasteningcomponents disposed on the part of the front portion of the diaper whichoverlaps the first of the secondary first fastening components andexposed to the outer cover 32. Thus, when folded along the lateral foldline 44, the first of the secondary first fastening components 26 willengage the bodyside liner 30 and/or the flap, while the second of thesecondary first fastening components will engage the outer cover 32.Thus, during use, a user must first disengage the second of thesecondary first fastening components 26 from the outer cover 32 tounfold the diaper 10 along the lateral fold line 44, and then mustdisengage the first of the secondary first fastening components from thebodyside liner 30 and/or the flap to unfold the diaper along thelongitudinal fold lines 42. Thus, this configuration adds an unfoldingstep for the user as compared to diapers 10 in which both of thesecondary first fastening components 26 engage, e.g., the outer cover32.

Other known diapers thus attempt to diminish the problems discussedabove by disposing the secondary first fastening components 26 outboardof fold lines 42 depicted in FIG. 1 but inboard of the longitudinal sideedges 28. For example, Kimberly-Clark de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V.currently manufactures and makes commercially available a diaper 10which comprises a pair of secondary first fastening components 26 on thefront portion 16 of the diaper 10. See, e.g., Huggies® ultracomfortdiaper with the no Velcro® fastening system (“the KC-Mexico diaper”).The pair of secondary first fastening components 26 of the KC-Mexicodiaper 10 are positioned very near (and in some embodiments even abut)the longitudinal side edges of an absorbent core 34 of the KC-Mexicodiaper. When packaging the KC-Mexico diaper 10, the diaper is foldedalong the longitudinal edges of the absorbent core 34 such that aportion of the secondary first fastening components 26 are facing aninside of the folded diaper.

However, because the secondary first fastening components 26 aredisposed very near (and in some embodiments even abut) the longitudinalsides of the absorbent core 34, when the diaper 10 is folded theentirety of the secondary first fastening components may not be disposedon an inside of the folded diaper, or, alternatively, may be disposedinside the folded diaper but very near or adjacent to a longitudinallyextending folded side of the folded diaper. More particularly, theinboard longitudinal edges of the secondary first fastening components26 of the KC-Mexico diaper 10 (i.e., the longitudinal edges of thesecondary first fastening components abutting the absorbent core 34) maybe disposed very near, at, or even inside of the fold lines 42 and thusmay be prone to being exposed outside of the folded diaper along thefolded edges. Thus, the KC-Mexico diaper 10 suffers at least some of thedeficiencies described above, including being prone to engaging otherdiapers, objects, packaging, etc., during manufacturing and packagingthe diaper.

Still further, a stiffness or similar properties of the secondary firstfastening components 26 may lead to discomfort or decreased mobility fora wearer of the diaper 10. For example, when wearing the diaper 10, aninfant may crawl, walk, run, bend, etc., in such a manner that the frontportion 16 of the diaper moves, bends, or otherwise deforms. Thus, ifthe secondary fastening system (and more particularly the secondaryfirst fastening components 26 disposed on the front portion 16 of thediaper 10) is too stiff, the user may have decreased mobility as thefront portion of the diaper may not be as readily deformed as if thesecondary fastening system was omitted from the diaper. Further, arelatively stiff secondary fastening system may be uncomfortable to awearer with the relatively unpliable secondary first fasteningcomponents 26 providing irritation when the wearer moves.

There is a need, therefore, for an improved fastening system provided onan absorbent article which provides for increased protection againstleakage and secure attachment of the absorbent article without theassociated discomfort and/or packaging and manufacturing drawbacksdiscussed above.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, an absorbent article is provided. The absorbent articlegeneral comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, a first waistportion, a second waist portion, and a crotch portion extendinglongitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and thesecond waist portion. The absorbent article further comprises a chassishaving longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides, abodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of thearticle, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface ofthe article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and theouter cover. The absorbent article further comprises a pair of earsextending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis atthe second waist portion thereof, and a fastening system. The fasteningsystem generally comprises a primary fastening system and a secondaryfastening system. The primary fastening system includes a primary firstfastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primarysecond fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the articleat the first waist portion. The secondary fastening system includes asecondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and acorresponding secondary first fastening component on the outer surfaceof the article at the first waist portion. Each of the secondary firstfastening components has a stiffness in the longitudinal direction ofthe article of less than 185 milligrams according to a Gurley StiffnessTest.

In another aspect, an absorbent article is provided. The absorbentarticle generally comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, a firstwaist portion, a second waist portion, and a crotch portion extendinglongitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and thesecond waist portion. The absorbent article further comprises a chassishaving longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides, abodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of thearticle, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface ofthe article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and theouter cover. The absorbent article further includes a pair of earsextending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis atthe second waist portion thereof, and a fastening system. The fasteningsystem generally comprises a primary fastening system and a secondaryfastening system. The primary fastening system comprises a primary firstfastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primarysecond fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the articleat the first waist portion. The secondary fastening system comprises asecondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and acorresponding secondary first fastening component on the outer surfaceof the article at the first waist portion. Each of the secondary firstfastening components has a peak load corresponding to an edge stiffnessin the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 100grams-force according to an Edge Stiffness Test.

In yet another aspect, an absorbent article is provided. The absorbentarticle generally comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, a firstwaist portion, a second waist portion, and a crotch portion extendinglongitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and thesecond waist portion. The absorbent article further comprises a chassishaving longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides, abodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of thearticle, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface ofthe article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and theouter cover. The absorbent article further includes a pair of earsextending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis atthe second waist portion thereof, and a fastening system. The fasteningsystem generally comprises a primary fastening system and a secondaryfastening system. The primary fastening system includes a primary firstfastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primarysecond fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the articleat the first waist portion. The secondary fastening system comprises asecondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and acorresponding secondary first fastening component on the outer surfaceof the article at the first waist portion. Each of the secondary firstfastening component has a peak stress corresponding to an edge stiffnessin the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 8.5grams-force per square millimeter according to an Edge Stiffness Test.

In still another aspect, an absorbent article is provided. The absorbentarticle generally comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, a firstwaist portion, a second waist portion, and a crotch portion extendinglongitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and thesecond waist portion. The absorbent article further comprises a chassishaving longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides, abodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of thearticle, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface ofthe article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and theouter cover. The absorbent article further includes a pair of earssecured to and extending transversely outward from the opposite sides ofthe chassis at the second waist portion thereof, and a fastening system.The fastening system generally comprises a primary fastening system anda secondary fastening system. The primary fastening system includes aprimary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of earsand a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surfaceof the article at the first waist portion. The secondary fasteningsystem comprising a secondary second fastening component on each of thepair of ears and a corresponding secondary first fastening component onthe outer surface of the article at the first waist portion. Each of thesecondary first fastening components has a Gurley stiffness in thelongitudinal direction of the article of less than 185 milligramsaccording to a Gurley Stiffness Test and a peak load corresponding to anedge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than100 grams-force according to an Edge Stiffness Test.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a known diaper in an unfolded and laid flatcondition to show an outer surface of the diaper which faces away fromthe wearer when the diaper is worn.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the known diaper of FIG. 1 in a foldedstate.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plurality of stacked known diapers ofFIG. 1 with each diaper in the stack being in the folded state asillustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a diaper according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show anouter surface of the diaper which faces away from the wearer when thediaper is worn.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the diaper of FIG. 4 in an unfolded andlaid flat condition to show an inner surface of the diaper which facestowards the wearer when the diaper is worn.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the diaper of FIG. 4 in a wear configurationwith the fastening system not fastened.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the diaper of FIG. 4 in a wear configurationwith the fastening system fastened.

FIG. 8A is a schematic illustrating one suitable folding process of thediaper of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8B is a schematic illustrating another suitable folding process ofthe diaper of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9A is the diaper of FIG. 4 tri-folded according to the foldingprocess of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9B is the diaper of FIG. 4 tri-folded according to the foldingprocess of FIG. 8B.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the diaper of FIG. 4 in a folded state.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a plurality of stacked diapers of FIG.4 with each diaper in the stack being in the folded state illustrated inFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a portion of the diaper of FIG. 4illustrating relative distances from a center line to various componentsof the diaper.

FIG. 13A is the diaper of FIG. 4 tri-folded in a similar manner asdepicted in FIG. 9A, FIG. 13B is a top plan view of the unfolded diaperof FIG. 4, and FIGS. 13C-13E are cross-sectional views of variousembodiments of the diaper tri-folded, with each figure illustratingrelative distances from a center line to various components of thediaper.

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of a diaper according to another embodimentin an unfolded and laid flat condition to show an outer surface of thediaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaper is worn.

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a diaper according to still anotherembodiment in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show an outersurface of the diaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaperis worn.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of a diaper according to still anotherembodiment in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show an outersurface of the diaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaperis worn.

FIG. 17 is a top view of a portion of a folded diaper with a length ofmasking tape attached thereto for engaging with a testing machineaccording to some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a perspective of the folded diaper of FIG. 17 provided in thetesting machine according to a Diaper Opening Force Test as describedherein.

FIG. 19 is a plot of force v. displacement for a specimen of a prior artproduct and a specimen of one embodiment of the present disclosureproduct according to the Diaper Opening Force Test.

FIG. 20 is a plot of compression force vs. compression distance for aspecimen of a prior art product and a specimen of one embodiment of thepresent disclosure product according to an Edge Stiffness Test asdescribed herein.

FIG. 21 is a perspective of a test specimen provided in a testingmachine according to the Edge Stiffness Test.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

According to some aspects of the disclosure, an absorbent article isprovided which overcomes at least some of the deficiencies of theconventional diapers described above. More particularly, according tosome aspects of the disclosure, the absorbent article includes asecondary fastening system in order to securely attach the absorbentarticle around the waist of a wearer, but which comprises improvedpliability over known fastening systems such that the absorbent articleremains securely fastened even as the wearer crawls, walks, runs, bends,etc. The secondary fastening system may be constructed of suitablematerials and disposed in a suitable position relative to othercomponents of the absorbent article such that the absorbent article maybe readily packaged or used without the drawbacks of the known diapersdiscussed above.

These features will become more apparent with reference to theaccompanying drawings. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate one suitable embodimentof a diaper (broadly, “an absorbent article”), indicated generally at110, in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show an outer surface ofthe diaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaper is worn(FIG. 4) and an inner surface of the diaper which faces the wearer whenthe diaper is worn (FIG. 5). Portions of the diaper 110 illustrated inFIG. 5 are cut away to illustrate underlying structures. The diaper 110has a longitudinal direction 112 and a lateral direction 114. While thepresent description will be made in the context of a diaper 110, itshould be understood that the present disclosure is also applicable toother personal care absorbent articles, such as adult incontinencegarments, children's training pants, swim pants, and the like.

In one suitable embodiment, the diaper 110 is a disposable absorbentarticle. As used herein, the term “disposable absorbent article” refersto articles which absorb and contain body exudates and which areintended to be discarded after a limited period of use. The articles arenot intended to be laundered or otherwise restored for reuse. Thearticles can be placed against or in proximity to the body of a wearerto absorb and contain various exudates discharged from the body. It isunderstood that in other suitable embodiments, the diaper 110 can bereusable. That is, the diaper 110 can be intended for multiple useswithout departing from some aspects of this disclosure.

In the longitudinal direction 112, the diaper 110 defines a frontportion 116, a back portion 118, and a crotch portion 120 extendingbetween and connecting the front portion and the back portion. Thediaper 110 includes a bodyside liner 130, an outer cover 132, and anabsorbent core 134 located between the bodyside liner and the outercover. The bodyside liner 130, outer cover 132 and absorbent core 134collectively define an absorbent assembly. The absorbent assembly can beany suitable shape including, for example, generally I-shaped asillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 or generally rectangular as illustrated inFIG. 16. As used herein, reference to the front portion 116 refers tothat part of the diaper 110 which is generally located on the front of awearer when in use. Reference to the back portion 118 refers to theportion of the diaper 110 generally located at the back of the wearerwhen in use, and reference to the crotch portion 120 refers to thatportion which is generally located between the legs of the wearer whenin use.

In the illustrated embodiment, the back portion 118 includes a straightback waist edge 138 and the front portion 116 includes a straight frontwaist edge 140. As used herein, “straight edge” refers to edges that aresubstantially free from curves, bends, angles, notches, orirregularities. It is understood, however, that the back waist 138 andthe front waist 140 may be cut in any suitable shape as are known in theart (e.g., arcuate). As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the diaper 110 hasopposite longitudinal side edges 128 that extend between the back waistedge 138 and the front waist edge 140. In the illustrated embodiment,each of the side edges 128 include an arcuate portion for defining aportion of a leg opening during wear of the diaper 110.

The bodyside liner 130 of the diaper 110, as illustrated in FIG. 5,defines a body facing surface that is intended to be worn adjacent andin directed contact with the body of the wearer. The bodyside liner 130is suitably compliant, soft feeling and nonirritating to the wearer'sskin. The bodyside liner 130 is less hydrophilic than the absorbent core134 and sufficiently porous to be liquid permeable. The bodyside liner130 can be manufactured from a wide selection of suitable web materials,such as porous foams, reticulated foams, apertured plastic films,natural fibers (for example, wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers(for example, polyester or polypropylene fibers), or a combination ofnatural and synthetic fibers. The bodyside liner 130 is suitably adaptedto isolate the wearer's skin from liquids and moisture held by theabsorbent core 134.

The outer cover 132 of the diaper 110, which is illustrated in FIG. 4,defines a garment facing surface which is intended to be worn adjacentthe clothing of the wearer. In one suitable embodiment, the outer cover132 is a polyethylene film. In another suitable embodiment, the outercover 132 comprises a woven or non-woven fibrous web layer which hasbeen totally or partially constructed or treated to impart a desiredlevel of liquid impermeability to selected regions of the outer coverthat are adjacent or proximate the absorbent core 134. For example, aclothlike outer cover may be composed of polypropylene spunbond fabricwhich is laminated and thermally bonded to a stretch-thinnedpolypropylene film. The outer cover 132 may include a micro-porous,“breathable” material which permits vapors to escape from diaper 110while still preventing liquid exudates from passing through. Forexample, the outer cover 132 may be composed of a microporous polymerfilm or a nonwoven fabric which has been coated or otherwise treated toimpart a desired level of liquid impermeability. The outer cover 132 canalso be embossed or otherwise provided with a matte finish to exhibit amore aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The bodyside liner 130 and the outer cover 132 are generally joined infacing relationship with the absorbent core 134 located therebetween.The bodyside liner 130 and the outer cover 132 can be joined to eachother around the outer periphery of the diaper 110 by any means known tothose skilled in the art such as adhesive bonds, ultrasonic bonds,thermal bonds, and the like, and combinations thereof. As used herein,the term “join”, and derivatives thereof, encompass configurationswherein an element is directly secured to the other element by affixingthe element directly to the other element, and configurations whereinthe element is indirectly secured to the other element by affixing theelement to intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the otherelement.

As mentioned above, the absorbent core 134 is positioned between thebodyside liner 130 and the outer cover 132. The absorbent core 134 isgenerally conformable and capable of absorbing and retaining liquid bodyexudates. The absorbent core 134 can include superabsorbent material,staple fibers, binder fibers, and the like, and combinations thereof asis known in the art. The absorbent core 134 may have any of a number ofshapes and sizes. For example, the composite absorbent core 134 may berectangular, I-shaped, or T-shaped. The size and absorbent capacity ofthe absorbent core 134 should be compatible with the size of theintended wearer and the fluid loading imparted by the intended use ofthe diaper.

In one suitable embodiment, the diaper 110 may include a surge portion(not shown) disposed between the absorbent core 134 and the bodysideliner 130. The surge portion serves to quickly collect and temporarilyhold liquids discharged by the wearer and then release the liquids tothe absorbent core 134. Various woven and nonwoven materials can be usedto construct the surge portion. For example, the surge portion may be alayer of a spunbonded or meltblown web of polyolefin fibers. The surgeportion may also be a bonded carded web of natural and synthetic fibers.The surge portion may be a substantially hydrophobic material and,optionally, can be treated with a surfactant or otherwise to impart adesired level of wettability and hydrophilicity.

The diaper 110 includes a pair of elasticized, longitudinally-extendingleg cuffs 136. The leg cuffs 136 are adapted to fit about the legs of awearer in use and serve as a mechanical barrier to the lateral flow ofbody exudates. In one suitable embodiment, the leg cuffs 136 can beformed by portions of the outer cover 132, and/or bodyside liner 130,which extend beyond the longitudinal sides of the absorbent core 134. Inanother suitable embodiment, the leg cuffs 136 can be formed fromseparate materials (e.g., stands of leg elastics) joined to the outercover 132 and/or the bodyside liner 130.

The diaper 110 may further include a front waist elastic (not shown)and/or a back waist elastic 146. In the illustrated embodiment, forexample, the diaper 110 has a back waist elastic 146 but not a frontwaist elastic. The back waist elastic 146 is arranged to draw and holdthe diaper 110 against the wearer, particularly against the waist of thewearer, as will be more fully discussed.

Materials suitable for use in forming leg cuffs 136 and/or waistelastics 146 are known to those skilled in the art. Examples of suchmaterials are strands or ribbons of a polymeric, elastomeric materialwhich are adhered to the diaper 110 in a stretched position, or whichare attached to the diaper while the diaper is pleated, such thatelastic constrictive forces are imparted to the diaper. The leg cuffs136 and/or waist elastics 146 may have any configuration which providesthe desired performance. The leg cuffs 136 may be generally straight oroptionally curved (as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5) to more closely fitthe contours of the legs of the wearer. As used herein, “elastic,”“elastomeric,” and the like refer to the ability of a material orcomposite to be elongated by at least about 50 percent and uponrelaxation to return to within at least 50 percent of its originallength.

The leg cuffs 136 and/or waist elastics 146 may be attached to thediaper 110 in any way known to those skilled in the art. For example,the leg cuffs 136 and/or waist elastics 146 may be joined to the diaper110 by ultrasonic bonding, thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, and thelike, and combinations thereof.

The diaper 110 may also include a pair of containment flaps (not shown)that extend longitudinally along the diaper and are adapted to provide abarrier to the lateral flow of body exudates. The containment flaps canbe connected to the bodyside liner 130 or other components as is wellknown in the art. Suitable configurations of the containment flaps 148are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,338 issued Feb. 4,1997, to K. Enloe, the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the back portion 118 of the diaper includes apair of back ears, indicated generally at 122. In one suitableembodiment, the back ears 122 can be formed from extensions of thebodyside liner 130, the outer cover 132, or combinations of both thebodyside liner and the outer cover. In another suitable embodiment, andas illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the back ears 122 can be formed asseparate components and attached to the bodyside liner 130, the outercover 132, or both the bodyside liner and the outer cover as is known inthe art. In the illustrated embodiment, the back ears 122 are attachedto the body-facing surface of the bodyside liner 130 such that theattached portion of the ears 122 are disposed between the wearer's bodyand bodyside liner when the diaper 110 is worn.

In one suitable embodiment, each of the back ears 122 includes anelastomeric portion 150, a non-elastomeric portion 152, and a primaryfirst fastening component 124 mounted to the non-elastomeric portion(FIG. 5). Each of the elastomeric portions 150 has a proximal edge 154,an opposed distal edge 156, an upper edge 158, and a lower edge 160. Asseen in FIG. 5, the proximal edge 154 of each of the elastomericportions 150 is spaced inward from the respective side edge 128 of thediaper 110 such that a portion of the elastomeric portion overlaps thebodyside liner 130. The part of each of the elastomeric portions 150overlapping the bodyside liner 130 is bonded (e.g., adhesive bonding,thermal bonding, both thermal and adhesive bonding) to at least thebodyside liner. In another suitable embodiment, the elastic component150 may be eliminated and the entire back ear 122 may be constructedfrom the non-elastic component 152.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the proximal edge 154and the distal edge 156 of each of the elastomeric portions 150 aregenerally parallel with respect to each other, and both are straight(i.e., linear). In one suitable embodiment, the proximal edge 154 has alength from about 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) to about 7 inches (17.8centimeters), preferably from about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) to about6 inches (15.2 centimeters), and more preferably from about 3.5 inches(8.9 centimeters) to about 5.5 inches (14.0 centimeters). The distaledge 156 has a length from about 0.25 inch (0.635 centimeter) to about 6inches (15.24 centimeters), and preferably from about 1 inch (2.54centimeters) to about 3 inches (7.6 centimeters). Further, the ratio ofthe length of the distal edge 156 to the proximal edge 154 is suitablyfrom about 1:28 to about 3:4, and, and preferably from about 1:10 toabout 2:3, and more preferably from about 1:4 to about 1:2.

Both the upper and lower edges 158, 160 have first segments 162 that aregenerally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to therespective proximal edges 154. Each of the first segments 162 generallycorrespond to the part of each of the elastomeric portions 150 thatoverlap the bodyside liner 130. In the illustrated embodiment, the firstsegments 162 of the upper edges 158 of the elastomeric portion 150 arespaced from the back waist edge 138. It is understood, however, that thefirst segments 162 can be aligned with the back waist edge 138 of thediaper 110.

Second segments 164 of each of the upper and lower edges 158, 160 aregenerally coaxial and extend towards each other generally perpendicularto the first segments 162. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondsegment 164 of the lower edge 160 has a length greater than the lengthof the second segment of the upper edge 158. It is understood, however,that the second segments 164 of the upper and lower edges 158, 160 canhave any suitable length.

Each of the illustrated elastomeric portions 150 includes an arcuatethird segment 166 interconnecting the second segments 164 to therespective distal edge 156. In the illustrated embodiment, the thirdsegments 166 are generally mirror images of each other. It isunderstood, however, that the third segments 166 can have any suitableshape and that the third segments of the upper edges 158 can have ashape that is different that the shape of the third segments of thelower edges 160.

The elastomeric portions 150 of the back ears 122 can be formed from anytype of elastomeric material capable of performing as described herein.In one suitable embodiment, the elastomeric material will be stretchablein at least one direction (e.g., in the lateral direction 114 of thediaper 110 as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5) and alternatively, theelastomeric material will be stretchable in two directions (e.g., inboth the longitudinal direction 112 and the lateral direction of thediaper as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5). Suitably when the elastomericmaterial is stretchable in a single direction, the stretch direction ofthe elastomeric material will be oriented so as to provide elastomericforces which tend to pull the front and rear portions of the articletowards one another such that the article is maintained about the waistof a wearer.

In one suitable embodiment, the elastomeric material from which theelastomeric portions 150 of the back ears 122 are formed is capable ofbeing elongated by at least about 50 percent, alternatively by at leastabout 100 percent, alternatively by at least about 130 percent. Afterelongation to 50 percent (if the elastomeric material is capable ofbeing elongated to no more than 100 percent) or 100 percent (if theelastomeric material is capable of being elongated to more than 100percent), the elastomeric material suitably recovers to at least about50 percent of its original length, alternatively to at least about 80percent of its original length. The elastomeric material may be aninherently elastomeric material, that is, one which is formed in anelastomeric state, or may be rendered elastomeric through processingsubsequent formation. For example, the elastomeric material may be heator pressure activated. The elastomeric portions 150 of the back ears 122can be formed from a stretch-bonded-laminate (SBL) material, aneck-bonded-laminate (NBL) material, an elastomeric film, an elastomericfoam material, or the like.

Each of the non-elastomeric portions 152 of the back ears 122 isattached to a respective one of the elastomeric portions 150, and theprimary first fastening components 124 (such as a hook material) are inturn disposed on the non-elastomeric portions. As illustrated in FIGS. 4and 5, the non-elastomeric portions 152 of the back ears 122 extend inpart transversely outward of the respective elastomeric portion 150 andthe primary first fastening component 124 of each of the non-elastomericportions are configured for engaging a loop component disposed in thefront waist region 116 of the diaper 110 in the wear configuration, aswill be discussed more fully.

As seen best in FIG. 5, each of the illustrated non-elastomeric portions152 further comprise a grip region 168 transversely outward of theprimary first fastening component 124 for use in manually gripping andmanipulating the non-elastomeric portion and more broadly the respectiveback ear 122 relative to the diaper 110. The grip region 168 isnon-attachable to the diaper 110. The term “non-attachable” as used inthis instance means that the grip region 168 is not releasably orotherwise removably attachable to the diaper 110. In one embodiment, thegrip region 168 extends transversely outward from the respective primaryfirst fastening component 124 a distance of at least about 1 mm, such asin the range of about 1 mm to about 10 mm to provide sufficientunattached material for readily gripping and pulling on thenon-elastomeric portion 152.

The diaper 110 can be selectively moved from the unfastenedconfiguration, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, to a fastened or wearconfiguration as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, by attaching the backwaist region 118 (and more specifically the back ears 122) to the frontwaist region 116 using an article fastening system 170 to define athree-dimensional wear configuration of the diaper having a waistopening 172 and a pair of leg openings 174. Although the diaper 110illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 shows the back waist region 118 (and morespecifically the back ears 122) overlapping the front waist region 116upon connection thereto, which is convenient, the diaper can also beconfigured so that the front waist region overlaps the back waist regionwhen connected.

According to some embodiments, the article fastening system 170comprises a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system.The primary fastening system comprises the primary first fasteningcomponents 124 disposed on the non-elastomeric portions 152 of the backears 122 and at least one corresponding primary second fasteningcomponent 176 which is adapted for refastenable engagement to theprimary first fastening components. In one suitable embodiment, an outersurface of each of the primary fastening components 124, 176 comprises aplurality of engaging elements. More specifically, the engaging elementsof the primary first fastening components 124 are adapted to repeatedlyengage and disengage corresponding engaging elements of the primarysecond fastening components 176 to releasably secure the diaper 110 inits wear configuration.

The primary fastening components 124, 176 may comprise any refastenablefasteners suitable for absorbent articles, such as adhesive fasteners,cohesive fasteners, mechanical fasteners, or the like. In one suitableembodiment, the primary fastening components 124, 176 comprisemechanical fastening components, such as hook and loop fasteners. Forexample, suitable hook and loop components can be provided byinterlocking geometric shaped materials. As used herein, “hook” broadlyrefers to any suitable mechanical fastener adapted to engage loopcomponents including, e.g., hooks, bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, ballson stems, stems, structures having stems that engage foam such as opencell foam or the like, etc. Other suitable mechanical fasteningcomponents include male and/or female mating components, buckles, snaps,or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the primary first fasteningcomponents 124 comprise hook fasteners and the primary second fasteningcomponents 176 comprise a complementary loop fastener disposed on theouter surface of the outer cover 132. Alternatively, the primary firstfastening components 124 may comprise loop fasteners and the primarysecond fastening components 176 may comprise complementary hookfasteners.

The shape, density, and polymer composition of the hooks and loops maybe selected to obtain the desired level of engagement between theprimary fastening components 124, 176. A more aggressive hook materialmay comprise a material with a greater average hook height and/or agreater percentage of directionally-aligned hooks.

In some embodiments, the outer facing surface of the outer cover 132 ofthe diaper 110 is suitably constructed to define the primary secondfastening component 176, which is a loop fastener. That is, the outercover 132 itself can be formed of a material that defines the primarysecond fastening component 176 (e.g., vertical filament laminate (VFL)or other suitable material).

In another suitable embodiment, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, theprimary second fastening component 176 can be formed as a separatecomponent and attached to the outer surface of the diaper's outer cover132. More specifically, a strip, indicated generally at 180, comprisingloop fastening material is attached to the front waist region 116 of thediaper. The strip 180 comprises an upper edge 182, a lower edge 184, anda pair of side edges 186 connecting the upper and lower edges 182, 184.The upper edge 182 is spaced from the front waist edge 140 and the sideedges 186 are spaced from the respective side edges 128 of the diaper110.

The secondary fastening system of the article fastening system 170comprises secondary first fastening components 126 and secondary secondfastening components 178. The secondary first fastening components 126are disposed on the front portion 116 of the diaper 110 and are adaptedfor refastenable engagement to at least one corresponding secondarysecond fastening component 178 (e.g., the elastomeric portion 150 of theback ears 122). As best seen FIG. 6, in some embodiments, the strip 180may comprise the pair of spaced-apart secondary first fasteningcomponents 126.

In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary first fastening components126 comprise hook fasteners and are configured to engage the secondarysecond fastening components 178 in the wear configuration of the diaper110. Again, as used herein “hook” fasteners refers broadly to anysuitable mechanical fastener adapted to engage loop componentsincluding, e.g., hooks, bulbs, mushrooms, arrowheads, balls on stems,stems, structures having stems that engage foam such as open cell foamor the like, etc. In one embodiment, the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 may be constructed of polyethylene or other suitablepolymer blends. In one suitable embodiment, the elastomeric portions 150of the back ears 122 are constructed so at least the inner surfaces ofthe elastomeric portions define the secondary second fasteningcomponents 178 in the form of loop fastening components (i.e., theelastomeric portions and the respective secondary second fasteningcomponents are formed integrally). The elastomeric portions 150 in onesuitable embodiment can be constructed of NBL material so that theelastomeric portions itself defines a loop fastening component. Inanother suitable embodiment, the elastomeric portions 150 can beconstructed of VFL material so that the elastomeric portions itselfdefines a loop fastening component. It is understood, however, that thesecondary second fastening components 178 may be formed separate fromthe elastomeric portions 150 and attached thereto, such as by adhesive,thermal bonds, ultrasonic bonds, pressure bonds, or other suitabletechniques without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

In other suitable embodiments, the secondary first fastening components126 may comprise loop fasteners and the secondary second fasteningcomponents 178 may comprise loop fasteners. Further, in some embodimentsthe secondary first fastening components 126 may be a single, integralfastener. For example, in one suitable embodiment the secondary firstfastening components 126 may be a single, loop fastener, and thesecondary second fastening components 178 may be loop fasteners.

In one suitable embodiment, the strip 180 comprising both the secondaryfirst fastening components 126 and the primary second fasteningcomponent 176. In one such embodiment where the primary second fasteningcomponent 176 comprises a loop material and the secondary firstfastening component 126 comprises a hook material, the strip 180 may bea suitable loop material (forming the primary second fasteningcomponent), and then the hook material may be extruded onto the loopmaterial at two or more locations forming the secondary first fasteningcomponents.

In another suitable embodiment, the secondary first fastening components126 can be formed separate from the primary second fastening component176. In such an embodiment, the primary second fastening component 176can be formed to define the strip 180 and the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 can be attached in overlaying relationship with portionsof the primary second fastening component. In such embodiments, thesecondary first fastening components 126 may be attached to the strip180 and/or the primary second fastening component 176 using any suitablemeans known to those skilled in the art, including, e.g., adhesivebonds, ultrasonic bonds, thermal bonds, pressure bonds, and the like,and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the secondary first fastening components 126 may beattached to the diaper 110 and/or the strip 180 after the strip has beenattached to the diaper 110. For example, in one suitable embodiment thestrip 180 may be first bonded to the diaper 110 using any suitable meansas discussed, and then the secondary first fastening components 126 maybe bonded to or extruded on the strip. In other embodiments, the strip180 comprising both the secondary first fastening components 126 andprimary second fastening components 176 can be attached to the diaper110 as one single unit.

According to some embodiments, the secondary first fastening components126 and/or the strip 180 may be sufficiently bonded to the diaper 110such that a shear force exerted on the secondary first fasteningcomponents and/or the strip during use of the diaper does not cause thesecondary first fastening components and/or the strip to loosen orcompletely disengage from the diaper. For example, in some embodimentsan improved adhesive or the like can be used such that the secondaryfirst fastening components 126 and/or the strip 180 remain securelyfastened to, e.g., the outer cover despite the forces exerted on thefastening system 170 during use. In such embodiments, the diaper 110 maybe less prone to pop-opens and the edges of the secondary firstfastening components 126 and/or the strip 180 may remain flush with theouter cover 132 thus reducing irritation during wear which may otherwisebe caused by a loose secondary first fastener and/or a loose strip.

When the diaper 110 is moved to the wear configuration with the primaryfastening components 124, 176 engaging one another, the secondaryfastening components 126, 178 may also engage one another in order toprovide increased stability and leakage protection. For example, becausethe article fastening system 170 comprises four engagement points, thediaper 110 will be less prone to pop-opens when worn. Further, becausethe secondary fastening components 126, 178 engage each other closer toa side of a wearer than an engagement point of the primary fasteningcomponents 124, 176, the secondary fastening system secures the diaper110 nearer the wearer's sides and legs thus reducing leakage near theleg openings 174 of the diaper. Still further, and again because thesecondary fastening components 126, 178 engage each other near a side ofthe wearer, the secondary fastening system may provide increasedstability, thus reducing the occurrence of, e.g., sagging of the diaperdue to movement of the wearer.

In some embodiments, an appearance of the secondary first fasteningcomponent 126, the secondary second fastening component 178, and/or theback ears may be configured to provide suitable visual cues to a userfor attaching the diaper 110 to a wearer. For example, in someembodiments, a coloring of the secondary first fastening components 126may be such so as to, e.g., increase the noticeability of the secondaryfirst fastening components on the front portion 116 of the diaper 110.For example, each of the secondary first fastening components 126 may beconfigured as a different color than its immediate surroundings suchthat it stands out from its immediate surroundings. Similarly, agraphic, background pattern, etc., may be removed from the areasurrounding the secondary first fastening components 126 to increase thenoticeability of each component. Still further, an area on the frontportion 116 of the diaper 110 where a corresponding secondary firstfastening component 126 attaches may be provided with a differentgraphic or coloring, etc., than its surrounding, and the secondary firstfastening components can correspondingly be constructed of a transparentor semi-transparent material such that, when the secondary firstfastening component is provided on the front portion by any suitablemeans discussed herein, the different coloring, graphical properties,etc., are visible through the secondary first fastening component thusincreasing the noticeability of the secondary first fastening componentson the front portion.

In still further embodiments, the opacity of the pair of back ears 122and/or the secondary second fastening component 178 may be configuredsuch that each secondary first fastening component 126 is visiblethrough a respective one of the ears 122 when the diaper 110 is in thewear configuration. For example, in some embodiments the back ears 122and/or the secondary second fastening components 178 may be transparentor semi-transparent. In such embodiments, the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 may be visible through the back ears 122 when the diaperis in the wear configuration so that a user may be provided with avisual indication of the engagement of each secondary first fasteningcomponent with the respective secondary second fastening component 178.In some embodiments, these visual cues (i.e., the coloring or graphicalproperties of the secondary first fastening component 126 and/or theopacity of the secondary second fastening component 178) may assist auser engaging the secondary fastening system and/or in ensuring thesecondary fastening system is properly engaged in the wearconfiguration.

According to some aspects, the secondary first fastening components 126may be disposed on the front portion 116 of the diaper 110 at a positionrelative to the absorbent core 134, longitudinal fold lines 142, and/orthe longitudinal side edges 128 such that the secondary first fasteningcomponents are provided on an inside of the diaper when folded and suchthat the secondary first fastening components engage the outer cover 132and/or the back ears 122 of the diaper when the diaper is folded, thebenefits of which will be discussed more fully. This may be more readilyunderstood with reference to FIGS. 8A-11.

FIG. 8A illustrates one suitable folding process for the diaper 110. Asseen in FIG. 8A, the diaper 110 may be constructed from a continuouslength of absorbent articles 188. The length of absorbent articles 188may be fed in either a machine direction (i.e., longitudinal direction112) or a cross-machine direction on a machine line or the like andfolded as depicted and then separated into individual diapers 110 as iswell known in the art. It is understood that the individual diapers 110can be separated from the continuous length of absorbent articles 188prior to the diaper being folded.

The depicted folding process of FIG. 8A comprises a series of foldingsteps 190-194 to move the diaper 110 from a substantially flatconfiguration (as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5) to a folded configuration(as depicted in FIG. 10). In the first folding step 190, the back ears122 are folded over on themselves. More particularly, in the firstfolding step the outermost portions of the back ears 122 (i.e., portionsof the back ears comprising the grip regions 168 and at least part ofthe primary first fastening components 124) are folded toward thebodyside liner 130. In some embodiments, the portion of each back ear122 folded over in step 190 may engage another portion of correspondingthe back ear which is not folded over. For example, in some embodimentsat least part of the primary first fastening component 124 of each backear 122 when folded over may engage a part of the elastomeric region150, the non-elastomeric region 152, and/or the secondary secondfastening component 178 provided at each back ear. In one suitableembodiment, the entire primary first fastening component 124 of eachback ear 122 is folded over and engaged with the secondary secondfastening component 178 of the same back ear.

In the second folding step 191, the folded over back ears 122 are thenagain folded onto the absorbent components of the diaper 110 (i.e., thefolded over ears are folded over the main body generally at a locationof the longitudinal side edges 128). At such a step, portions of thefolded over back ears 122 may further overlap portions of the bodysideliner 130. In one suitable embodiment, no portions of the back ears 122will engage the bodyside liner 130 following the second folding step 191since the primary first fastening components 124 are engaged with therespective secondary second fastening components 178.

Also at the second folding step 191, the front portion 116 of the diaper110 is folded such that the longitudinal edges of the front portionoverlap one another near a center line 198 of the diaper. Moreparticularly, a first of the two longitudinal edges 128 of the diaper110 is folded toward the bodyside liner 130 of the diaper such that thefirst longitudinal edge extends past the center line 198 of the diaper,with the second of the two longitudinal edges then folded over in asimilar manner to form an overlap region 196 near the center line of thediaper. At the overlap region 196, a rightmost and leftmost portion ofthe front portion 116 of the diaper 110 overlap one another with aportion of the bodyside liner 130 abutting a portion of the outer cover132 (as viewed in FIG. 9A). This will be discussed more fully withreference to FIG. 9A.

In the third folding step 192, the back portion 118 of the diaper isfolded over in a similar manner to the front portion 116 as folded instep 191. More particularly, a first of the two longitudinal edges 128at the back portion 118 of the diaper 110 is first folded toward thebodyside liner 130 of the diaper 110 such that the first longitudinaledge extends past the center line 198 of the diaper, with the second ofthe two longitudinal edges then folded over in a similar manner to formthe overlap region 196 near the center line 198 of the diaper where arightmost and leftmost portion of the back portion 118 of the diaperoverlap one another (as viewed in FIG. 9A).

As seen in FIG. 8A, at the fourth folding step 193, the diaper 110 isremoved from the length of absorbent articles 188 by, e.g., cutting thediaper along the back waist edge 138 of the leading diaper and the frontwaist edge 140 of the trailing diaper. The diaper 110 may be cut fromthe length of absorbent articles 188 at step 193 by any suitable meanswell known in the art.

At the fifth folding step 194, the diaper 110 is folded at or near alateral fold line 144 such that the back waist edge 138 is generallyaligned with the front waist edge 140 in the folded state (as depictedin FIG. 10). In such a folded state, the diaper 110 is well suited forpackaging as is well known in the art. For example, the folded diaper110 may be stacked with like folded diapers (as depicted in FIG. 11) andprovided in consumer packaging for retail sale.

FIG. 8B illustrates another suitable folding process for the diaper 110.The depicted folding process of FIG. 8B comprises a series of foldingsteps 290-294 to move the diaper 110 from a substantially flatconfiguration (as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5) to a folded configuration(as depicted in FIG. 10). In the first folding step 290, the back ears122 are folded over on themselves, similar to the first step 190 of thefolding process depicted in FIG. 8A. More particularly, in the firstfolding step 290 the outermost portions of the back ears 122 (i.e.,portions of the back ears comprising the grip regions 168 and at leastpart of the primary first fastening components 124) are folded towardthe bodyside liner 130. In some embodiments, the portion of each backear 122 folded over in step 290 may engage another portion ofcorresponding the back ear which is not folded over. For example, insome embodiments at least part of the primary first fastening component124 of each back ear 122 when folded over may engage a part of theelastomeric region 150, the non-elastomeric region 152, and/or thesecondary second fastening component 178 provided at each back ear. Inone suitable embodiment, the entire primary first fastening component124 of each back ear 122 is folded over and engaged with the secondarysecond fastening component 178 of the same back ear.

In the second folding step 291, the folded over back ears 122 are foldedtowards the outer cover 132 of the diaper 110 (i.e., the folded overears away from the view depicted in FIG. 8B generally at a location ofthe longitudinal side edges 128). At such a step, portions of the foldedover back ears 122 may overlap portions of the outer cover 132. Thus,unlike a position of the back ears 122 following the second folding step191 of the folding process depicted in FIG. 8A, following the secondfolding step 291 the back ears will be folded against the outer cover132 of the diaper 110.

Also at the second folding step 291, the front portion 116 of the diaper110 is folded such that the longitudinal edges of the front portionoverlap one another near a center line 198 of the diaper in asubstantially similar manner as in folding step 191.

In the third folding step 292, the back portion 118 of the diaper isfolded over in a similar manner to the front portion 116 as folded instep 291. More particularly, a first of the two longitudinal edges 128at the back portion 118 of the diaper 110 is first folded toward thebodyside liner 130 of the diaper 110 such that the first longitudinaledge extends past the center line 198 of the diaper, with the second ofthe two longitudinal edges then folded over in a similar manner to formthe overlap region 196 near the center line 198 of the diaper where arightmost and leftmost portion of the back portion 118 of the diaperoverlap one another (as viewed in FIG. 9B).

As seen in FIG. 8B, at the fourth folding step 293, the diaper 110 isremoved from the length of absorbent articles 188 by, e.g., cutting thediaper along the back waist edge 138 of the leading diaper and the frontwaist edge 140 of the trailing diaper. As with the folding processdepicted in FIG. 8A, the diaper 110 may be cut from the length ofabsorbent articles 188 at step 193 by any suitable means well known inthe art.

At the fifth folding step 294, the diaper 110 is folded at or near alateral fold line 144 such that the back waist edge 138 is generallyaligned with the front waist edge 140 in the folded state (as depictedin FIG. 10). In such a folded state, the diaper 110 is well suited forpackaging as is well known in the art. For example, the folded diaper110 may be stacked with like folded diapers (as depicted in FIG. 11) andprovided in consumer packaging for retail sale.

In one suitable embodiment, the folded and stacked diapers 110(following, e.g., either suitable folding process described above) canbe placed into suitable flexible packaging to define a compressedpackage. By “compressed package” it is meant a package that contains aplurality of diapers 110 wherein the plurality of diapers have apre-insertion dimension, measured along at least one axis, which isgreater in length than when the plurality of diapers are contained inthe packaging. For example, if fourteen diapers 110 are assembled into arow having a pre-insertion dimension, measured along an axis, e.g., thex axis, of 10 inches (254 mm) and the row of diapers are then compressedby a force of at least 1 pound to a dimension of less than 10 inches(254 mm) when they are contained in the packaging, then the articles areconsidered to be contained in a compressed package. More specifically,the diapers 110 can be compressed and inserted into the packaging. Afterthe diapers 110 are placed in the packaging, the packaging is sealed.The compressed diapers 110 try to expand from their compressedconfiguration to an uncompressed configuration within the sealedpackaging. The cumulative expansion efforts of the diapers 110 place thepackaging under tension. Suitably, the compressed diapers 110 applybetween about 1 pound and about 20 pounds of force against the packaging(i.e., an in-bag force), and more suitably between about 7 pounds andabout 12 pounds. In one suitable embodiment, the diapers 110 apply about9 pounds of force against the packaging 11.

As a result of such a folding process depicted in FIG. 8A, the secondaryfirst fastening components 126 will be disposed on an inside of thefolded diaper 110 as illustrated in FIG. 10. Thus, the secondary firstfastening components 126 are not prone to engaging other objects and/ordiapers 110 during manufacturing and/or packaging of the diaper.Further, when provided in a stack of similar diapers (as depicted inFIG. 11) the diaper 110 will not engage an adjoining diaper. Thus, auser of the diaper 110 may easily remove the diaper from a package orthe like without having to forcibly separate the diaper from anadjoining diaper. Thus may reduce, e.g., the delamination or tearing ofthe outside cover 132 of one or more of the stacked diapers 110.

Further, and because each secondary first fastening component 126 isoffset a sufficient distance from a corresponding longitudinal side edge128, the secondary first fastening components will not engage thebodyside liner 130 when the diaper 110 is in the folded configuration.This may be more readily understood with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B.FIG. 9A illustrates the diaper 110 at, e.g., the fourth folding step 193as discussed in connection with FIG. 8A. FIG. 9B illustrates the diaper110 at, e.g., the fourth folding step 293 as discussed in connectionwith FIG. 8B. Following the fourth folding steps 193, 293 the rightlongitudinal side edge 128 of the diaper 110 will overlap the leftlongitudinal side edge 128 near the front portion 116 forming theoverlap region 196 (as viewed in FIGS. 9A and 9B). It will beappreciated that in other embodiments the left longitudinal side edge128 may overlap the right longitudinal side edge 128 to form the overlapregion 196 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Each secondary first fastening component 126 is spaced a sufficientdistance from a corresponding longitudinal side edge 128 such thatneither secondary first fastening component is located in the overlapregion 196 following the fourth folding steps 193, 293. Accordingly,when the diaper 110 is further folded in the fifth folding steps 194,294 (i.e., folded along lateral fold line 144 to the foldedconfiguration depicted in FIG. 10), neither secondary first fasteningcomponent 126 will engage the bodyside liner 130 of the diaper. Rather,when the diaper 110 is folded about lateral fold line 144 such that thefront waist edge 140 is generally aligned with the back waist edge 138,both secondary first fastening components 126 will engage the outercover 132 of the diaper (if folded according to the embodiment depictedin FIG. 8A) or the back ears 122 (if folded according to the embodimentdepicted in FIG. 8B).

More particularly, if folded according to the process depicted in FIG.8A, the rightmost secondary first fastening component 126 disposed inthe right region 197 will engage a portion of the outer cover 132 in theback portion 118 of the diaper 110 located in the right region (asviewed in the accompanying Figures), and the leftmost secondary firstfastening component provided in the left region 195 will engage aportion of the outer cover in the back portion of the diaper located inthe left region. If folded according to the process depicted in FIG. 8B,the rightmost secondary first fastening component 126 disposed in theright region 197 will engage a portion of the back ear 122 located inthe right region, and the leftmost secondary first fastening componentprovided in the left region 195 will engage a portion of the back earlocated in the left region.

Disposing each secondary first fastening component 126 at a positionsuch that it is located inside of the folded diaper 110 (as depicted inFIG. 10) and such that it is not located in the overlap region 196provides a number of benefits. First, because the secondary firstfastening components 126 are provided on an inside of the folded diaper110, they will not engage with other objects and/or other diapers duringmanufacturing, packaging, and/or use of the diaper. Thus, the diaper 110may be easily packaged in a stack of diapers (as illustrated in FIG. 11)without each diaper engaging one or more adjoining diapers, preventingmachine downtime or waste. Further, this may reduce or even eliminateinadvertent tearing, delamination, etc., of adjoining diapers when adiaper 110 is ultimately removed from the stack for use.

Further, and because the secondary first fastening components 126 may bedisposed outboard of the overlap region 196 following the fourth foldingstep 193 in some embodiments (i.e., the rightmost secondary firstfastening component is disposed in the right region 197 and the leftmostsecondary first fastening component is disposed in the left region 195)the secondary first fastening components will preferably not engage thebodyside liner 130 and/or a containment flap (not shown) of the diaper110 when the diaper is in the folded configuration (FIG. 10). Thus, whenthe diaper 110 is ultimately unfolded for use, the secondary firstfastening components 126 will not, e.g., tear the bodyside liner 130 orthe flap. This prevents residual portions of the bodyside liner 130 orflap from remaining on the secondary first fastening components 126,which would decrease the overall effectiveness of the secondaryfastening system, as well as keeps the bodyside liner and flap intact toreduce leakage while preserving the aesthetic appeal of the diaper 110to a user.

Still further, and again because the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 may preferably be provided in the outboard regions (i.e.,left region 195 and right region 197) of the overlap region 196following the fourth folding step 193, both secondary first fasteningcomponents will engage the outer cover 132 or the back ears 122 when thediaper 110 is folded along lateral fold line 144 in the fifth foldingstep 194. Thus, the diaper 110 will be more readily kept in the foldedstate (FIG. 10) until use.

In some embodiments, the folded and stacked diapers 110 may be placedinto suitable flexible packaging to define a compressed package (asdiscussed). In such embodiments, the tension which the folded andstacked diapers 110 applies against the packaging (i.e., the in-bagforce) may facilitate the engagement of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 with the outer cover 132. More particularly, the in-bagforce may compress the secondary first fastening components 126 againstthe outer cover 132 such that most or all of the surface area of thesecondary first fastening components engage the outer cover. In suchembodiments, the folded diaper 110 may more readily remain in the foldedconfiguration once removed from the packaging, etc., due to theengagement of the secondary first fastening components 126 with theouter cover 132.

One suitable placement of the secondary first fastening components 126in relation to other components of the diaper 110 in order to achieveone or more of the described benefits may be more readily understoodwith reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a schematic of a portion of thediaper 110 depicted in FIG. 4 with relative dimensions between thecomponents labeled L1, L2, and L3 for convenience. For example, L1indicates a distance of the outer edge 128 of the front portion 116 froma center line 198 which is coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axisof the diaper 110; L2 indicates a distance of an inboard edge of one ofthe secondary first fastening components 126 from the center line; andL3 indicates a narrowest lateral distance of a longitudinally extendingedge of the absorbent core 134 located in the front portion of thediaper from the center line.

In some embodiments, a ratio of L2:L1, L2:L3, and/or L1:L3 may beappropriately configured such that the diaper 110 exhibits one or morebenefits described. For example, in some embodiments the ratio of L2:L1and L2:L3 may be appropriately configured so, when folded, the secondaryfirst fastening components 126 are provided on an inside of the diaper110 and outboard of the overlap region 196 such that the secondary firstfastening components are not externally exposed and such that thesecondary first fastening components engage the outer cover 132 or theback ears 122 (and not a bodyside liner 130) of the folded diaper.

For example, in some embodiments, the diaper may be constructed suchthat the ratio of L2:L1 (i.e., the ratio of a distance from the centerline 198 to an inboard edge of the secondary first fastening component126 compared to a distance from the center line to the outer edge 128 ofthe front portion 116 of the diaper 110) is at least 0.50 and is lessthan 1.00. Preferably, the diaper 110 may be constructed such that theratio of L2:L1 is between 0.50 and 0.80, and more preferably between0.50 and 0.70, and even more preferably between 0.50 and 0.65.

Further, in some embodiments, the diaper 110 may be constructed suchthat the ratio of L2:L3 (i.e., the ratio of the distance from the centerline 198 to the inboard edge of the secondary first fastening component126 compared to a distance from the center line to an outer edge of theabsorbent core 134) is greater than 1.15. Preferably, the diaper 110 maybe constructed such that the ratio of L2:L3 is between 1.15 and 1.80,and more preferably between 1.15 and 1.70, and even more preferablybetween 1.15 and 1.60.

Another suitable placement of the secondary first fastening components126 in relation to other components of the diaper 110 in order toachieve one or more of the described benefits may be more readilyunderstood with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B. FIGS. 13A and 13B depictbolded lines 200 which indicate an appropriate range on the frontportion 116 of the diaper 110 in which to dispose the secondary firstfastening components 126 according to some embodiments such that theyexhibit one or more of the benefits described. Although the bolded lines200 are only depicted on the right side of the front portion 116 of thediaper 110 in FIG. 13B, one skilled in the art will appreciate that thediaper may be symmetrical about its center line 198 such that thesecondary first fastening component 126 disposed on the left side of thefront portion of the diaper will be disposed in a substantially similarrange from the center line 198.

As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, an appropriate lateral region, G, toposition an inboard-most longitudinal side of the secondary firstfastening component 126 may be defined in relation to a distance fromthe center line 198 to the side edge 128 at the front portion 116, A, adistance from the center line to the longitudinal edge of the absorbentcore 134, B, a distance from the center line to the longitudinal foldline 142, C, a distance from the center line to the inboard longitudinaledge of the secondary first fastening component, D, a width of thesecondary first fastening component, E, and/or a distance from thelongitudinal fold line to the side edge at the front portion, F.

For example, in some embodiments the diaper 110 may be constructed suchthat an inner region boundary, H (i.e., an inboard side of the lateralregion G) is disposed from the center line 198 a distance equal to thedistance from the center line 198 to the longitudinal fold line 142, C,plus 6 millimeters (i.e., H=C+6 mm). Further, the lateral region, G, maybe defined as having a width equal to two times the distance from thecenter line 198 to the longitudinal fold line 142, C, less the distancefrom the longitudinal fold line to the side edge 128 at the frontportion 116, F, less 6 millimeters (i.e., G=2*C−F−6 mm). Accordingly,the diaper 110 may be constructed such that the outer region boundary, J(i.e., an outboard side of the lateral region, G) is disposed from thecenter line 198 a distance equal to the distance from the center line198 to the longitudinal fold line 142 plus 6 millimeters, H, plus thewidth of the lateral region, G (i.e., J=H+G). In embodiments where thedistance from the center line 198 to the longitudinal fold line 142 plus6 millimeters, H, plus the width of the lateral region, G, is greaterthan the distance from the center line to the side edge 128 at the frontportion 116, A, less 6 millimeters, the outer region boundary, J, mayalternatively be defined as the distance from the center line to theside edge at the front portion, A, less 6 millimeters (i.e., J=A−6 mm).

In other suitable embodiments, the inner region boundary, H (i.e., aninboard side of the lateral region G) may be defined according to arelative location of the longitudinal fold lines 142 to thelongitudinally extending center line 198. For example, in embodimentswhere the longitudinal fold lines 142 are disposed very near or evenwithin the absorbent core 134, a inboard-most longitudinal edge of thesecondary first fastening components 126 may need to be spaced furtheroutboard so that the secondary first fasteners will be folded within thediaper 110 than in embodiments where the longitudinal fold lines arespaced farther apart from the absorbent core. That is, because theabsorbent core 134 may have a non-negligible thickness, in embodimentswhere the longitudinal foldlines 142 are very near or within theabsorbent core, when the diaper 110 is folded along the longitudinalfold lines the diaper wraps around the thickness of the absorbent core.Thus, the secondary first fastening components 126 may need to be spacedfrom the longitudinal fold lines 142 a distance equal to the thicknessof the absorbent core 134 plus a predetermined process range to ensurethe secondary first fastener is sufficiently included within the foldeddiaper 110. However, when the longitudinal fold lines 142 are spacedfarther away from the absorbent core 134, the diaper 110 does not wraparound the thickness of the absorbent core at a location of the foldlines, and thus the inboard-most edge of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 may be disposed nearer the fold lines and still beentirely disposed within the diaper in the folded state.

This may be more readily understood with reference to FIGS. 13C-13E.First, FIG. 13C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the diaper 110wherein the longitudinal fold lines 142 are spaced sufficiently far awayfrom the absorbent core 134, such that a thickness of the absorbent corewill not affect or only negligibly affect a location of the secondaryfirst fastening components in the folded configuration. Specifically,the longitudinal fold lines 142 are sufficiently spaced from the centerline 198 such that, when the diaper 110 is folded, the diaper does nothave to “wrap around” the absorbent core 134. In such embodiments, theinner region boundary, H, of the lateral region, G, may be configuredsuch that an inboard longitudinal edge of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 (i.e., the outboard most edges of each in the foldedstate) are disposed no closer to the center line than a predeterminedprocess range distance from the longitudinal fold lines. That is, theinner region boundary, H, may be defined as the distance from the centerline 198 to the longitudinal fold line, C, plus a predetermined processrange, PR (i.e., H=C+PR). Preferably, the predetermined process range isabout six millimeters.

However, when the fold lines 142 are disposed nearer the absorbent core134, as depicted in FIG. 13D, the diaper 110 will need to “wrap around”the edges of the absorbent core when folded. Thus, in order to space thesecondary first fasteners 126 a same distance from the folded edge ofthe diaper 110 as in, e.g., FIG. 13C, a thickness of the absorbent core,t, must be taken into account when calculating the inner regionboundary, H. Thus, in such embodiments, the inner region boundary, H,may be defined as the distance from the center line 198 to thelongitudinal fold line, C, plus the thickness of the absorbent core, t(e.g., a dimension of the absorbent core perpendicular to both thelongitudinal and lateral directions 112, 114) such that the diaper 110can sufficiently wrap around the absorbent core, plus the predeterminedprocess range, PR (i.e., H=C+t+PR). Again, the predetermined processrange is preferably about six millimeters.

In still other embodiments, and as best viewed in FIG. 13E, thelongitudinal fold lines 142 may be disposed within the absorbent core134. In such configurations, the absorbent core 134 will be folded onitself at the longitudinal fold line 142, such that, in order to spacethe secondary first fasteners 126 a same distance from the folded edgeof the diaper 110 as in, e.g., FIG. 13C, two times the thickness of theabsorbent core, t, must be taken into account when calculating the innerregion boundary, H. Thus, in such embodiments, the inner regionboundary, H, may be defined as the distance from the center line 198 tothe longitudinal fold line, C, plus two times the thickness of theabsorbent core, t, such that the absorbent core 134 can sufficientlyfold on top of itself, plus the predetermined process range, PR (i.e.,H=C+2*t+PR). Again, the predetermined process range is preferably aboutsix millimeters.

In any embodiment, the outer region boundary, J (i.e., an outboard sideof the lateral region, G) can be defined generally as less than thedistance from the center line 198 to the side edge 128 at the frontportion 116, A (i.e., J<A). That is, placing the secondary firstfasteners 126 at the longitudinal edge 128 of the diaper 110 may, e.g.,cause the secondary first fasteners to engage an undesirable location ofthe folded diaper (as discussed), may cause irritation to a wearer(because, e.g., each fastener may rub against the wearer's leg duringwearing of the diaper), and/or may interfere with a bonding of thebodyside liner 130 and the outer cover 132 at a perimeter of the diaper.Thus, the outer region, J, of the lateral distance, G, may besufficiently spaced apart from the longitudinal side 128 of the diaper110 (i.e., J<A) such that one or more of these drawbacks may beeliminated. For example, in some embodiments, the outer region, J, maybe defined as the distance from the center line 198 to the side edge 128at the front portion 116, A, less six millimeters (i.e., J=A−6 mm). Inother embodiments, the outer region, J, may be defined as the distancefrom the center line 198 to the side edge 128 at the front portion 116,A, less ten millimeters (i.e., J=A−10 mm). In still other embodiments,the outer region, J, may be defined as the distance from the center line198 to the side edge 128 at the front portion 116, A, less fifteenmillimeters (i.e., J=A−15 mm) or even less twenty millimeters (i.e.,J=A−20 mm) or even less twenty-five millimeters (i.e., J=A−25 mm).

In one suitable embodiment, a distance from the center line 198 to theside edge 128 at the front portion 116, A, may preferably be in a rangeof 100 millimeters to 175 millimeters. Further, inner region boundary, H(i.e., an inboard side of the lateral region G) may be greater than 58.5mm, and less than 70.5 mm. Preferably, the inner region boundary, H, maybe greater than 60.0 mm and less than 65.0 mm, and even more preferablygreater than 61.0 mm and less than 62.0 mm. Further, the outer regionboundary, J (i.e., an outboard side of the lateral region, G) may begreater than 81.5 mm and less than 99 mm. Preferably, the outer regionboundary, J, may be greater than 85 mm and less than 90 mm, and evenmore preferably greater than 86 mm and less than 88 mm.

Accordingly, for a given diaper 110 with known dimensions of variouscomponents (e.g., a distance from a center line 198 of the diaper to theedge of the absorbent core 134, the longitudinal fold line 142, the edgeof the diaper 128, etc.) an appropriate lateral region for positioningthe secondary first fastening component 126 may be readily determined.When the secondary first fastening component 126 is disposed in thisregion (i.e., when disposed in the lateral region, G, as depicted inFIGS. 13A and 13B), the secondary first fastening component may exhibitone or more of the benefits as described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 14, another suitable embodiment of the diaper 110according to some aspects of the disclosure is illustrated.Specifically, FIG. 14 depicts the diaper 110 in an unfolded and laidflat condition to again show the outer surface of the diaper which facesaway from the wearer when the diaper is worn. In the depictedembodiment, the majority of the operable aspects of the diaper 110 arethe same or substantially similar to the embodiment depicted in FIGS.4-9 and as described herein. However, rather than providing secondaryfirst fastening components 126 on the strip 180 as described, in theembodiment depicted in FIG. 14 the pair of secondary first fasteningcomponents are disposed directly on the outer cover 132.

More particularly, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 14, the diaper 110comprises a strip 280 which includes the primary secondary fasteningcomponent 176 and which is shorter in the lateral direction 114 than thestrip 180. Unlike the strip 180, the strip 280 does not comprise thesecondary first fastening components 126. Rather, the longitudinal edges286 of the strip 280 are disposed inboard (i.e., closer to the centerline 198 of the diaper 110) of the secondary first fastening components126. Thus, and unlike the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 where thesecondary first fastening components 126 and the strip 180 may be formedas a single unit (e.g., a one piece extruded strip), in this embodimentthe secondary first fastening components 126 will be formed separatefrom the strip 280 and attached directly to the outer cover 132 of thediaper 110.

FIG. 15 illustrates yet another suitable embodiment of the diaper 110according to some aspects of the disclosure. Again, FIG. 15 depicts thediaper 110 in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show the outersurface of the diaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaperis worn. And again, the majority of the operable aspects of the diaper110 are the same or substantially similar to the embodiments depicted inFIGS. 4-9 and FIG. 14.

However, in this embodiment, each of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 are provided on a corresponding carrier 202 which is thenattached to or otherwise provided on the outer cover 132. As with theembodiment depicted in FIG. 14, in this embodiment the outer edges 286of the strip 280 are disposed inboard of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126. However, rather than attaching or otherwise providingthe secondary first fastening components 126 directly to the outer cover132, each secondary first fastening component is intermediately attachedto a respective carrier 202 which is then embedded or otherwise attachedto the outer cover using any of the discussed methods.

FIG. 16 illustrates yet another suitable embodiment of the diaper 110according to some aspects of the disclosure. Once again, FIG. 16 depictsthe diaper 110 in an unfolded and laid flat condition to show the outersurface of the diaper which faces away from the wearer when the diaperis worn. As with the embodiments depicted in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, themajority of the operable aspects of the diaper 110 are the same orsubstantially similar to the embodiments depicted in the FIGS. 4-9.

However, in this embodiment, each of the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 are provided on a corresponding carrier 302 which is thenattached to or otherwise provided on the outer cover 132. Further, inthis embodiment, outer edges 386 of a strip 380 (which includes primarysecond fastening component 176) overlap and attach to the carriers 302.That is, the innermost longitudinal edge 304 of each carrier 302 isdisposed inboard of a corresponding outer edge 386 of the strip 380. Insuch embodiments, the carriers 302 may be embedded or otherwise providedto the outer cover 132 of the diaper with the strip 380 overlapping andattached to each of the carriers at a location near the outer edges 386of the strip.

In one suitable embodiment, the secondary fastening system (and inparticular, the secondary first fastening components 126), the back ears122 (and more particularly, the secondary second fastening component178), and/or the outer cover 132 of the diaper 110 may be configuredsuch that a peel force (i.e., a force applied by a user or the like ofthe diaper) needed to disengage the secondary first fastening componentsfrom the secondary second fastening components when the diaper is in thewear configuration is much higher than the peel force needed todisengage the secondary first fastening components from the outer coverwhen the diaper is in the folded configuration. As discussed, when thediaper 110 is provided in the folded configuration, the secondary firstfastening components 126 engage the outer cover 132 such that thesecondary first fastening components are not exposed to an outside ofthe diaper and such that the engagement of the secondary first fasteningcomponents with the outer cover helps keep the diaper in the foldedconfiguration. However, if the bond between the secondary firstfastening components 126 and the outer cover 132 is too great, when thediaper 110 is unfolded for use, the outer cover may tear, delaminate,etc. This may lead to residual pieces of the outer cover 132 remainingon the secondary first fastening components 126 (thus decreasing theeffectiveness of the secondary first fastening components) as well as atorn diaper 110 which may leak, provide discomfort to a wearer, and/orwhich may be aesthetically unappealing to a user.

Accordingly, in some embodiments the components of the diaper 110 areconfigured such that less peel force is needed to disengage thesecondary first fastening components 126 from the outer cover 132 tounfold the diaper than is needed to disengage the secondary firstfastening components from the back ears 122 (and more particularly fromthe secondary second fastening components 178). Thus, during use of thediaper 110, less peel force is required to unfold the diaper for usethan is needed to remove the diaper from the wear configuration. Thelower peel force needed to unfold the diaper 110 makes the diaper easyto open for use without damaging the diaper while the higher peel forceneeded to remove the diaper from a wearer ensures the diaper remainssecurely fastened to the wearer over time notwithstanding the wearercrawling, walking, running, bending, etc.

In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by configuring thesecondary first fastening components 126, the secondary second fasteningcomponents 178, and/or the outer cover 132 of the diaper 110 to achievethe desired engagement properties. For example, in embodiments where thesecondary fastening system is a hook and loop fastening system (i.e.,embodiments where the secondary first fastening components 126 comprisehook fasteners and the secondary second fastening components 178comprise loop fasteners), the loop properties of the outer cover 132 maybe reduced such that the bond between the hooks of the secondary firstfastening components and the outer cover is less than the bond betweenthe hooks of the secondary first fastening components and the loops ofthe secondary second fastening components. Further, in embodiments wherethe secondary fastening system is an adhesive system, the outer cover132 may be modified to reduce its attachment properties in an area whichengages the secondary first fastening components 126 when in the foldedstate. For example, in some embodiments a release coating may be appliedto the outer cover 132 in the area which engages the secondary firstfastening components 126 when in the folded state. In other embodiments,a polymer may be selected for the outer cover 132 which comprises thedesired attachment properties, and/or one or more polymer additives(such as, e.g., euricimide) may be added to the outer cover 132. Stillfurther, in embodiments where the secondary fastening system is acohesive system, the outer cover 132 may be coated sparingly (or in someembodiments not at all) with a cohesive in order to lower the engagementbetween the secondary first fastening components 126 and the outer coverwhen in the folded configuration.

This may be more readily understood with reference to a particularexample. In some embodiments, the secondary first fastening components126 may be configured such that it is a Velcro® or similar polyethylenehook, the secondary second fastening components 178 may be configuredsuch that it is made of NBL, and the outer cover 132 may be constructedsuch that it is an online laminated outer cover with diamond on diamondbonded spunbond facing. In such embodiments, less peel force is neededto disengage the secondary first fastening components 126 from the outercover 132 of the diaper 110 when in the folded configuration than isneeded to disengage the secondary first fastening components from thesecondary second fastening components 178 when in the wearconfiguration. Further, in some embodiments less peel force is needed todisengage the secondary first fastening components 126 from the outercover 132 than fastening components engage the outer cover of knowndiapers when in the folded configured.

An experiment was conducted (the “Diaper Opening Force Test”) to testthe peel force needed to disengage the above described configuration ofthe secondary first fastening components 126 from the outer cover 132 ascompared to the peel force needed to disengage known secondary firstfastening components from the outer cover of a known diaper (i.e., theKC-Mexico diaper). The KC-Mexico diaper disposes each of the pair offasteners very near a corresponding longitudinal edge of the absorbentcore and a corresponding longitudinal fold line such that part of thepair of fasteners engages the outer cover of the KC-Mexico diaper whenin the folded configuration (as discussed). The peel force needed todisengage the novel secondary first fastening components 126 describedfrom the outer cover 132 of the diaper 110 was compared to the peelforce needed to disengage the pair of fasteners from the outer cover ofthe KC-Mexico diaper. The results of the experiment showed that muchless force was needed to disengage the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 from the outer cover 132 than was needed to disengage thepair of fasteners from the outer cover of the KC-Mexico diaper, thusresulting in decreased tearing, delamination, etc., of the outer coverof the diaper.

The experiment was conducted using a MTS Sintech® tensile frame (serialno. 1G/040696/099) purchased from MTS System Corporation located at14000 Technology Drive, Eden Prairie, Minn. (hereinafter “the machine”).The machine was configured with a 100 Newton D72795 load cell and upperand lower jaws one inch wide by three inches long. Each of thesecomponents were similarly purchased from MTS System Corporation. Eachtest specimen was outfitted (as will be more fully discussed) with twolengths of one inch wide Scotch® 234 masking tape manufactured and madecommercially available by 3M.

Turning now to FIGS. 17 and 18, during testing, a test specimen 400(i.e., the folded diaper 110 or the folded KC-Mexico diaper) was removedfrom its packaging without unfolding the specimen (e.g., withoutdisengaging the secondary first fastening components 126 from the outercover 132 of the folded diaper 110). Two pieces of the one inch wideScotch® 234 masking tape 412 were cut 6.5 inches long. A first of thetwo pieces of cut masking tape 412 was applied to a front portion 402 ofeach specimen (i.e., a portion of the folded diaper facing upwards inFIGS. 2 and 10) and a second of the two pieces of masking tape wasapplied to a back portion 404 of each specimen (i.e., a portion of thefolded diaper facing downwards in FIGS. 2 and 10). More specifically,and as best seen in FIG. 17, the first of the two pieces of maskingtaper 412 was placed on the front portion 402 of the specimen 400 acrossa lateral length of the specimen at a distance of approximately one inchfrom a waist edge 408 of the specimen at both longitudinal sides 410 ofthe specimen and at a distance of approximately 1.25 inches from thewaist edge at a center of the specimen.

At the center of the specimen 400, the masking tape 412 was folded intoa loop 414 for engagement with an upper jaw 416. More particularly, a1.25 inch loop 414 was formed at the center of the specimen 400 usingthe middle 2.5 inches of the masking tape 412. The above procedure wasrepeated with the second of the two pieces of masking tape 412 such thata second loop 414 was formed and disposed on at a substantially similarposition on the back portion 404 of the specimen and configured toengage a lower jaw 418 of the machine.

A distance between the upper jaw 416 and the lower jaw 418 on themachine (i.e., the gauge length) was set at 1.5 inches. Next, the loops414 provided on the front and back portions 402, 404 were clamped intothe upper and lower jaws 416, 418, respectively. Specifically,approximately the outermost 0.75 inch of the loop 414 provided on thefront portion 402 of the specimen 400 was clamped into the center of theupper jaw 416, and approximately the outermost 0.75 inch of the loopprovided on the bottom side of the specimen was clamped into the centerof the lower jaw 418. Each loop 414 was clamped into the respective jaw416, 418 without breaking the bond between the front and back sides ofthe specimen (e.g., without disengaging the secondary first fasteningcomponent 126 from the outer cover 132) and without disengaging themasking tape 412 from the outer cover of the specimen.

Next, the machine was operated such that the upper jaw 416 traveledupward at a speed of 305 millimeters per minute until the front side ofthe folded specimen 400 became disengaged from the back side of thefolded specimen (e.g., until the secondary first fastening components126 became disengaged from the outer cover 132). Data was then recordedon a computer for force versus displacement (travel distance of theupper jaw 416) using software called TestWorks® v4.12C provided by MTSSystem Corporation. The force was recorded to the nearest 0.1grams-force (gf). The peak load (e.g., the highest force reading) foreach tested specimen is thus representative of a typical peel forceneeded to unfold each tested specimen (e.g., disengage the secondaryfirst fastening components 126 from the outer cover 132).

The above described experiment was performed for a plurality ofspecimens 400 of the diaper 110 comprising the above describedproperties for each of the secondary first fastening components 126 andthe outer cover 132, as well as a plurality of specimens of theKC-Mexico diaper. The experiment revealed that the peak loads (i.e., aload indicative of a peel force needed to unfold the product) for theKC-Mexico diaper were much higher than the peak loads experienced by thediaper 110 configured as described. More specifically, in the experimentten specimens of each product were tested with an average peak load ofthe ten KC-Mexico diapers being 135.5 gf with a standard deviation of26.1 gf, and an average peak load of the ten diapers according to thedisclosure being 91.4 gf with a standard deviation of 13.5 gf. Further,a maximum of the peak loads measured for the KC-Mexico diaper was 176.75gf, while a maximum of the peak loads measured for the diaper 110 was116.6 gf.

Table 1 below is the results of the Diaper Opening Force Test for theKC-Mexico diaper and for the product according to the presentdisclosure.

TABLE 1 KC-Mexico Diaper and present disclosure product Diaper OpeningForce Test results Peak Load - Peak Load - KC-Mexico Embodiment of thedisclosure Spec. (gf) (gf) 1 176.75 80.72 (max) 2 122.44 106.36 3 173.8987.62 4 166.80 94.63 5 118.79 70.24 6 124.64 89.42 7 117.69 90.57 8108.62 79.68 9 117.71 116.60 (max) 10  176.75 97.78 Average 135.50 91.36Peak Load Standard  26.12 13.45 Deviation

In some suitable embodiments, the secondary first fastening components126 may not engage the back waist region (e.g., outer cover 132, ears122, etc.) with any force. For example, in some embodiments (and asdiscussed) the secondary first fastening components 126 may comprise oneor more loop fasteners, and the secondary second fastening components178 may comprise hook fasteners. In such embodiments, the hook fastenersof the secondary second fastening components 178 may be folded overbefore the diaper 110 is folded along the lateral fold line 144 (asdiscussed in connection with the various folding processes describedabove). Accordingly, when the diaper 110 is ultimately folded alonglateral fold line 144, the loop fasteners of the secondary firstfastening components may engage the back waist portion with little or noforce. In such embodiments, the Diaper Opening Test would indicate avery small peak force or even a zero peak force is needed to unfold thediaper.

FIG. 19 illustrates a plot of force vs. displacement for one example ofthe Diaper Opening Force Test discussed above. Two trend lines areplotted in the diagram, each trend line showing the amount of forceexerted on the specimen versus displacement (travel distance of theupper jaw 416). Trend line A indicates the amount of force versusdisplacement for the KC-Mexico product, and trend line B indicates theamount of force versus displacement for a product according to aspectsof this disclosure. The peak force of each trend line is generallyindicative of an amount of force needed to disengage, e.g., thesecondary first fastening components 126 from the outer cover 132. Aseasily seen in FIG. 19, and as discussed above, the amount of forceneeded to disengage the fasteners provided on the KC-Mexico diaper fromits outer cover was much higher than the amount of force needed todisengage the secondary first fastening components 126 from the outercover 132 on the product according to the present disclosure.

Accordingly, because the KC-Mexico diaper experienced much higher peakloads before the pair of fasteners came disengaged from the outer coverthan the peak loads required to disengage the secondary first fasteningcomponents 126 from the outer cover 132 of the diaper 110, the KC-Mexicodiaper thus requires much more force to unfold the product than does thediaper according to aspects of this disclosure. Accordingly, a user ofthe diaper 110 may more readily unfold the diaper 110 during usewithout, e.g., risking tearing or delaminating the outer cover 132 ofthe diaper.

FIG. 20 illustrates a plot of compression force vs. compression distancefor one example of an Edge Stiffness Test. Two trend lines are plottedin the diagram, each trend line showing the amount of force needed tobend or buckle a specimen upon applying a force to the edge of thespecimen. For instance, trend line B indicates that the compressionforce required to bend or buckle the specimen from a product made inaccordance with the present disclosure increased until the specimenbuckled at a peak compression force of 40.6 grams-force (after only aslight amount of compression distance). After the peak compression load,the compression force required to further bend the specimen decreasedasymptotically towards approximately 20 grams-force.

Continuing with FIG. 20, trend line A indicates that the compressionforce required to bend or buckle the specimen from the KC-Mexico diaperincreases until the specimen buckled at a peak compression force of110.7 grams-force. After the peak compression load, the compressionforce required to further bend the specimen decreased asymptoticallytowards approximately 80 grams-force. Further and more detaileddiscussion of FIG. 20 can be found in the Edge Stiffness Test sectionhereinbelow.

In one embodiment, the secondary first fastening components 126 (i.e.,the hook fasteners of the illustrated embodiment) on the front portion116 of the diaper 110 each have a relatively low stiffness at least inthe longitudinal direction 112 of the diaper to facilitate decreased redmarking of and discomfort to the wearer of the diaper. As used herein,the stiffness of the secondary first fastening components 126 refersgenerally to the resistance of each component to deflection ordeformation (e.g., bending) when acted on by an applied force. Forexample, in one suitable embodiment, the stiffness may be a Gurleystiffness as determined in a Gurley Stiffness Test. In other embodimentsthe stiffness may be an edge stiffness as determined in an EdgeStiffness Test.

Gurley Stiffness Test

A Gurley Stiffness Test is commonly used to determine the stiffness of atest specimen (such as, e.g., the secondary first fastening component126) with respect to a bending moment produced by a force that isdirected perpendicular to the plane substantially defined by the lengthand width of the specimen being tested. A description of a GurleyStiffness Test is set forth in TAPPI Standard Test T543 om-94 (BendingResistance of Paper (Gurley type tester). One suitable testing apparatusfor conducting the Gurley Stiffness Test is a Gurley Digital StiffnessTester, Model 31644 manufactured by Teledyne Gurley, a business havingoffices in Troy, N.Y.

For purposes of the present disclosure, the stated Gurley stiffnessvalues are those that would be generated by a standard sized sample(i.e., 1 inch wide by 3.5 inches long) using the Gurley DigitalStiffness Tester. Accordingly, the readings from the Tester areappropriately converted to the stiffness of a standard sized sample(i.e., 1 inch wide by 3.5 inches long), and are reported in terms ofmilligrams (mg) of force.

In general, the Gurley Digital Stiffness Tester consists of a pendulumwith slots for attaching various weights. The specimen to be testedpresses the pendulum to the right and to the left resulting in tworeadings. The readings are positively correlated with a specimen'sstiffness. The two readings are then averaged and multiplied by afactor. This factor is determined by the specimen size, the distancefrom the center pivot, and the weight used on the pendulum. Methodologyof the Gurley Stiffness Test is set forth below.

For purposes of the present disclosure, test specimens are prepared,e.g., taken from a larger sample or product, by cutting the specimen tohave its length in the longitudinal or machine direction of the product.As an example, for the present disclosure where the secondary firstfastening components (e.g., hook fasteners) are being tested, thespecimens are cut from the diaper to include the fastener along with thematerial to which it is attached, e.g., the outer cover of the diaper.Each specimen should be cut to 12 mm wide by 25 mm long±1 mm (or 0.5inches by 1 inch±0.04 inches).

To conduct the Gurley Stiffness Test using the Gurley Digital StiffnessTester, the base of the instrument is first leveled by adjusting theleveling screw until the level's bubble is centered and the pendulum'spointer indicates zero. After turning the power on, the specimen is usedto determine the appropriate weight and the weight position on thependulum to obtain a reading between 2 and 6 on the scale/display. Theswitches are set to correspond to the weight being used, the weight'sposition on the pendulum, the width of the specimen being tested, andthe length of the specimen.

For each specimen, the specimen strip is centered over the pendulum suchthat 6.4 mm±1 mm (or 0.25 inches±0.04 inches) overlaps the top of thependulum and 6.4 mm±1 mm (or 0.25 inches±0.04 inches) is held in thejaws of the Tester. The system is reset so that the display reads00-000-00. The Motor-Direction switch is operated to engage the clamparm to press the specimen against the pendulum. Both a left reading anda right reading are taken, and an average reading is determined. TheSELECT button on the Tester is then pressed to obtain the stiffness (inmilligrams) calculation and the stiffness is recorded. Theaforementioned steps are repeated for each test specimen in the samplegroup.

Example

Secondary first fastening components from two different absorbentproducts were subjected to the Gurley Stiffness Test to assess therelative Gurley stiffness of each. The first product was the KC-Mexicodiaper, which has fastening components being hook fasteners and beingmade of polypropylene. Each specimen had the following test conditions:weight 25 g, and weight position 4″; and measurements: width 0.5″, andlength 1″. The second product was made in accordance with the presentdisclosure with the fastening components being hook fasteners and beingmade of polyethylene. Each specimen had the following test conditions:weight 25 g, and weight position 2″; and measurements: width 0.5″, andlength 1″. Ten specimens of each product were tested. As used hereinwhen referring to the Gurley Stiffness test, “length” generally refersto a direction in the longitudinal direction of the product, and “width”generally refers to a dimension in the lateral direction of the product.Further, “weight” and “weight position” generally refer to testconditions which indicate how much force is attached to the pendulum andat what position during the test.

Table 2 below is the results of the Gurley Stiffness Test for theKC-Mexico diaper and Table 3 is the results for the product according tothe present disclosure.

TABLE 2 KC-Mexico Diaper Gurley Stiffness Test results Stiffness Spec.Right Left Ave. (mg) 1 3.30 4.80 4.05 225.18 2 2.50 4.60 3.55 197.38 33.00 4.60 3.80 211.28 4 2.60 4.10 3.35 186.26 5 3.00 4.40 3.70 205.72 62.90 3.80 3.35 186.26 7 2.10 4.70 3.40 189.04 8 3.70 4.10 3.90 216.84 93.10 5.70 4.40 244.64 10  2.70 5.10 3.90 216.84 Ave. 2.89 4.59 3.74207.94 Std. 0.45 0.55 0.34 18.94

TABLE 3 Present disclosure product Gurley Stiffness Test resultsStiffness Spec. Right Left Ave. (mg) 1 1.40 2.80 2.10 116.76 2 1.70 3.702.70 150.12 3 1.90 2.90 2.40 130.44 4 1.50 3.00 2.25 125.10 5 1.60 2.702.15 119.54 6 1.90 4.40 3.15 175.14 7 1.70 2.70 2.20 122.32 8 1.70 2.702.20 122.32 9 1.30 3.10 2.20 122.32 10  2.00 4.50 3.25 180.70 Ave. 1.673.25 2.46 136.48 Std. 0.23 0.70 0.43 23.76

The tested fastening components from the KC-Mexico diaper had an averagestiffness of 207.94 mg whereas the tested fastening components from thepresent disclosure product had an average stiffness of 136.48 mg.Additionally, the tested fastening components from the KC-Mexico diaperranged from a minimum stiffness of 186.26 mg to a maximum stiffness of244.64 mg. The tested fastening components from the present disclosureproduct ranged from a minimum stiffness of 116.76 mg to a maximumstiffness of 180.70 mg. In other words, the minimum stiffness (186.26mg) of the tested components of the KC-Mexico diaper was greater thanthe maximum stiffness (180.70 mg) of the tested fastening componentsfrom the present disclosure product. Put differently, every testedfastening component from the present disclosure product had a Gurleystiffness of less than 185 mg.

To this end, in one embodiment the secondary first fastening component126, and more particularly the secondary hook fastener on the frontportion 116 of the diaper 110 as in the illustrated embodiment, has aGurley stiffness according to the Gurley Stiffness Test of less than 185mg, more suitably less than 170 mg, even more suitably less than 160 mg,still more suitably less than 150 mg, and still more suitably less than140 mg. In another embodiment the secondary first fastening component126, and more particularly the secondary hook fastener on the frontportion 116 of the diaper 110 as in the illustrated embodiment, has anaverage Gurley stiffness according to the Gurley Stiffness Test of lessthan 180 mg for a sample size of at least 10 specimens, more suitablyless than 170 mg, even more suitably less than 160 mg, still moresuitably less than 150 mg, and still more suitably less than 140 mg. Itis understood that in other embodiments the Gurley stiffness, and/or theaverage Gurley stiffness of the secondary first fastening component 126may be even less than the ranges set forth above and remain within thescope of the disclosure.

Edge Stiffness Test

An Edge Stiffness Test determines the edge stiffness of a test specimen500 (such as, e.g., the secondary first fastening component 126), andmore particularly it measures the amount of force, in grams(grams-force, or gf), required to buckle or bend upon applying alongitudinal force against an edge of the specimen. This is indicative,for example, of the manner in which a force would be applied by a wearerto the secondary first fastening components 126 of the diaper 110 whenthe wearer bends over at the waist.

Turning now to FIG. 21, a rectangular (elongate) specimen 500 is heldupright (i.e., lengthwise) by a grip, or jaws (i.e., upper jaw 516 andlower jaw 518), with the short edge or end of the specimen perpendicularto and in contact with a flat surface or platen 520. The contact edge isthen gradually urged against the flat surface by moving the grip or jaws516, 518 toward the flat surface 520 by a recorded distance until thespecimen buckles or bends. As can be seen from FIG. 20, which is a plotof compression force versus compression distance (i.e., the distancethat the grip or jaws 516, 518 move toward the flat surface duringtesting) and is described in further detail later herein, thecompression force initially increases proportionately with compresseddistance, i.e., the distance that the grip or jaws move toward the flatsurface 520. After reaching a peak compression force, the forcedecreases asymptotically toward a constant while the compressed distanceincreases. The edge stiffness is the peak compression force achievedduring the test, with a lower compression force meaning that thespecimen 500 has a lower edge stiffness, or is more easily bent uponapplication of a force to the edge of the specimen.

One suitable testing apparatus for conducting the Edge Stiffness Test isan MTS Sintech tensile frame 500S manufactured by MTS SystemCorporation, a business having offices in Eden Prairie, Minn. Additionalinstruments used to conduct the Edge Stiffness Test include a load cell100 Newton D86201, an upper fixture having a upper jaw 516 measuring 1″long and 3″ wide, and a low fixture stainless steel platen 520 having adiameter measuring 3.5″ (all manufactured by MTS System Corporation).Also used is a thickness measurement device such as a Sony DigitalIndicator U30A equipped with a 0.05 psi platen, manufactured by SonyCorporation of America, a business having offices in New York, N.Y.

To conduct the Edge Stiffness Test for the purposes of the presentdisclosure, specimens 500 are cut to have a width of 15 mm in thelateral direction 114 of the product, such as the diaper 110 of theillustrated embodiment, and a length of 40 mm in the longitudinaldirection 112 of the product. The thickness of each specimen 500 ismeasured using the thickness measurement device with a 0.05 psi platento the nearest 0.001 mm. The distance between the lower platen 520 andthe bottom of the upper jaw 516 is set at 10 mm and the specimen 500 isplaced in the upper jaw with the specimen oriented lengthwise. The loweredge of the specimen 500 is in slight contact with the flat surface ofthe lower platen 520.

The upper jaw 516 is activated to move downward toward the lower platen520 at a speed of 6.35 mm/min. (0.25 inches/min.) to longitudinallycompress the specimen 500 until the force drops from the peak and levelsoff. Test data of the compression force vs. compression distance (e.g.,downward travel distance of the upper jaw 516) is recorded on a PC usingsoftware having the trade name TestWorks V4.12C provided by MTS SystemCorporation. The compression force is reported to the nearest 0.1grams-force (gf). The peak compression load (in gf) for each specimen500 tested is determined using this software. The peak compressionstress in gf/mm² is calculated by dividing the peak compression load ingf by the cross sectional area in mm².

Example

Secondary first fastening components from two different absorbentproducts were subjected to the Edge Stiffness Test to assess therelative edge stiffness of each. The first product was the KC-Mexicodiaper having hook fasteners made of polypropylene. The second productwas a diaper 110 made in accordance with the present disclosure with thesecondary first fastening components 126 being hook fasteners and beingmade of polyethylene. Five specimens 500 of each product were tested.

Table 4 below is the results of the Edge Stiffness Test for theKC-Mexico diaper and Table 5 is the results for the product according tothe present disclosure. The Peak Load is the edge stiffness, ingrams-force (gf).

TABLE 4 KC-Mexico Diaper Edge Stiffness Test results Peak Peak ThicknessWidth Load Stress Spec. (mm) (mm) (gf) (gf/mm²) 1 0.728 15 115 10.5 20.72 15 158.2 14.6 3 0.761 15 100.1 8.8 4 0.768 15 149.5 13.0 5 0.689 15110.7 10.7 Ave 0.733 15 126.7 11.5 Std 0.032 0 25.6 2.3

TABLE 5 Present disclosure product Edge Stiffness Test results Peak PeakThickness Width Load Stress Spec. (mm) (mm) (gf) (gf/mm²) 1 0.651 1568.2 7.0 2 0.772 15 38.5 3.3 3 0.735 15 43.7 4.0 4 0.768 15 53.4 4.6 50.739 15 40.6 3.7 Ave 0.733 15 48.9 4.5 Std 0.049 0 12.2 1.5

FIG. 20 is a plot of compression force vs. compression distance forspecimen #5 of the KC-Mexico diaper (trend line A) and specimen #5 ofthe present disclosure product (trend line B) of the above EdgeStiffness Test. Each curve shows the amount of force needed to bend orbuckle the specimen upon applying a force to the edge of the specimen.For instance, trend line B indicates that the compression force requiredto bend or buckle the specimen from a product made in accordance withthe present disclosure increased until the specimen buckled at a peakcompression force of 40.6 grams-force (after only a slight amount ofcompression distance). After the peak compression load, the compressionforce required to further bend the specimen 500 decreased asymptoticallytowards approximately 20 grams-force.

Trend line A indicates that the compression force required to bend orbuckle the specimen 500 from the KC-Mexico diaper increases until thespecimen buckled at a peak compression force of 110.7 grams-force. Afterthe peak compression load, the compression force required to furtherbend the specimen 500 decreased asymptotically towards approximately 80grams-force. Accordingly, it required more force to compress the edge ofa specimen 500 from the KC-Mexico diaper than it did to compress theedge of a specimen from a product made according to present disclosure.Therefore, it can be concluded that the edge stiffness of the secondaryfirst fastening component 126 of the present disclosure product was lessstiff than that of the KC-Mexico diaper.

Accordingly, in one embodiment the secondary first fastening component126, and more particularly the secondary hook fastener on the frontportion 116 of the diaper 110 as in the illustrated embodiment, has anedge stiffness according to the Edge Stiffness Test of less than 100grams-force, more suitably less than 90 grams-force, even more suitablyless than 80 grams-force, still more suitably less than 70 grams-force,and still more suitably less than 60 grams-force. In other embodimentsit is less than 50 grams-force.

In another embodiment the secondary first fastening component 126, andmore particularly the secondary hook fastener on the front portion 116of the diaper 110 as in the illustrated embodiment, has an average edgestiffness according to the Edge Stiffness Test of less than 80grams-force for a sample size of at least 5 specimens, more suitablyless than 70 grams-force, even more suitably less than 60 grams-force,and still more suitably less than 50 grams-force. It is understood thatin other embodiments the edge stiffness and/or the average edgestiffness of the secondary first fastening component 126 may be evenless than the ranges set forth above and remain within the scope of thedisclosure.

With reference to Tables 4 and 5, the KC-Mexico diaper specimens 500 hadan average peak load of 126.7 grams-force whereas the present disclosurespecimens had an average peak load of 48.9 grams-force. Anotherembodiment of the present disclosure has an average peak load of lessthan 90 grams-force based on a sample size of at least 5 samples.Another embodiment of the present disclosure with a sample size of atleast 5 samples has an average peak load of less than 80 grams-force.Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure with a sample size ofat least 5 samples has an average peak load of less than 70 grams-force.Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure with a sample size ofat least 5 samples has an average peak load of less than 60 grams-force.

With continued reference to Tables 4 and 5, the KC-Mexico diaperspecimens 500 shown in Table 4 ranged from a minimum peak load of 100.1grams-force to a maximum peak load of 158.2 grams-force. The presentdisclosure specimens 500 shown in Table 5 ranged from a minimum peakload of 38.5 grams-force to a maximum peak load of 68.2 grams-force. Inother words, every specimen 500 in the present disclosure sample had apeak load of less than 100 grams-force.

Thus, in view of either one of the Gurley Stiffness Test and the EdgeStiffness Test, particularly as used in the above Examples, it isevident that the secondary first fastening components 126 are less stiffthan secondary first fastening components of the KC-Mexico diaper. Asused on the diaper 110 described herein, such a reduced stiffnessincreases comfort for the wearer and reduces red marks that may irritatethe skin.

When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferredembodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” areintended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms“comprising,” “including”, and “having” are intended to be inclusive andmean that there may be additional elements other than the listedelements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:
 1. An absorbent article having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front waist portion, a back waist portion, a crotch portion extending longitudinally between and connecting the front waist portion and the back waist portion, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis having longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides defining respective side edges, a bodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of the article, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface of the article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover; a pair of ears extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis at the back waist portion thereof; and a fastening system comprising a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, the primary fastening system comprising a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article at the front waist portion, the secondary fastening system comprising a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding pair of spaced apart secondary first fastening components on the outer surface of the article at the front waist portion, each of the secondary first fastening components having a transversely inboard-most longitudinal edge that is disposed transversely inward of a transversely inboard-most point of the respective side edges and having a stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 185 milligrams according to a Gurley Stiffness Test; wherein the absorbent article includes a pair of longitudinally extending foldlines disposed in the front waist portion, and wherein the inboard-most longitudinal edge of each of the secondary first fastening components is transversely outward and spaced apart from a respective longitudinally extending foldline at least a distance equal to a predetermined process range.
 2. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 160 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test.
 3. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary first fastening component has an average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 180 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on a sample size of at least 10 samples.
 4. The absorbent article set forth in claim 3 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 160 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 10 samples.
 5. The absorbent article set forth in claim 4 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 140 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 10 samples.
 6. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed transversely adjacent to the primary second fastening component.
 7. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed on the primary second fastening component.
 8. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the primary first fastening component comprises a hook fastener and the primary second fastening component comprises a loop fastener.
 9. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the chassis has a width at the front waist portion of the article and the absorbent core has a width at the front waist portion of the article that is less than the width of the chassis at said front waist portion of the article, the secondary first fastening component being disposed on the outer surface of the article at the front waist portion thereof transversely between an inboard-most portion of the absorbent core and a respective side of the chassis at the front waist portion of the article.
 10. The absorbent article set forth in claim 1 wherein the secondary second fastening components each comprise a loop fastener and the secondary first fastening components each comprise a hook fastener.
 11. An absorbent article having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first waist portion, a second waist portion, a crotch portion extending longitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and the second waist portion, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis having longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides defining respective side edges, a bodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of the article, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface of the article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover; a pair of ears extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis at the second waist portion thereof; and a fastening system comprising a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, the primary fastening system comprising a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, the secondary fastening system comprising a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding pair of spaced apart secondary first fastening components on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, each of the secondary first fastening components having a transversely inboard-most longitudinal edge that is disposed transversely inward of a transversely inboard-most point of the respective side edges and having a peak load corresponding to an edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 100 grams-force according to an Edge Stiffness Test; wherein the absorbent article includes a pair of longitudinally extending foldlines disposed in the first waist portion, and wherein the inboard-most longitudinal edge of each of the secondary first fastening components is transversely outward and spaced apart from a respective longitudinally extending foldline at least a distance equal to a predetermined process range.
 12. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 80 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test.
 13. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the secondary first fastening component has an average peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 90 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on a sample size of at least 5 samples.
 14. The absorbent article set forth in claim 13 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 80 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 5 samples.
 15. The absorbent article set forth in claim 14 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 60 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 5 samples.
 16. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed transversely adjacent to the primary second fastening component.
 17. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed on the primary second fastening component.
 18. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the primary first fastening component comprises a hook fastener and the primary second fastening component comprises a loop fastener.
 19. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the chassis has a width at the first waist portion of the article and the absorbent core has a width at the first waist portion of the article that is less than the width of the chassis at said first waist portion of the article, the secondary first fastening component being disposed on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion thereof transversely between an inboard-most portion of the absorbent core and a respective side of the chassis at the first waist portion of the article.
 20. The absorbent article set forth in claim 11 wherein the secondary second fastening components each comprise a loop fastener and the secondary first fastening components each comprise a hook fastener.
 21. An absorbent article having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first waist portion, a second waist portion, a crotch portion extending longitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and the second waist portion, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis having longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides defining respective side edges, a bodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of the article, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface of the article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover; a pair of ears extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis at the second waist portion thereof; and a fastening system comprising a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, the primary fastening system comprising a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, the secondary fastening system comprising a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding pair of spaced apart secondary first fastening components on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, each of the secondary first fastening component having a transversely inboard-most longitudinal edge that is disposed transversely inward of a transversely inboard-most point of the respective side edges and having a peak stress corresponding to an edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 8.5 grams-force per square millimeter according to an Edge Stiffness Test; wherein the absorbent article includes a pair of longitudinally extending foldlines disposed in the first waist portion, and wherein the inboard-most longitudinal edge of each of the secondary first fastening components is transversely outward and spaced apart from a respective longitudinally extending foldline at least a distance equal to a predetermined process range.
 22. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the peak stress corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 7.5 grams-force per square millimeter according to the Edge Stiffness Test.
 23. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the secondary first fastening component has an average peak stress corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 9.0 grams-force per square millimeter according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on a sample size of at least 5 samples.
 24. The absorbent article set forth in claim 23 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average peak stress corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 7.5 grams-force per square millimeter according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 5 samples.
 25. The absorbent article set forth in claim 24 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average peak stress corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 5.0 grams-force per square millimeter according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 5 samples.
 26. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed transversely adjacent to the primary second fastening component.
 27. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the secondary first fastening component is disposed on the primary second fastening component.
 28. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the primary first fastening component comprises a hook fastener and the primary second fastening component comprises a loop fastener.
 29. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the chassis has a width at the first waist portion of the article and the absorbent core has a width at the first waist portion of the article that is less than the width of the chassis at said first waist portion of the article, the secondary first fastening component being disposed on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion thereof transversely between an inboard-most portion of the absorbent core and a respective side of the chassis at the first waist portion of the article.
 30. The absorbent article set forth in claim 21 wherein the secondary second fastening components each comprise a loop fastener and the secondary first fastening components each comprise a hook fastener.
 31. An absorbent article having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first waist portion, a second waist portion, a crotch portion extending longitudinally between and connecting the first waist portion and the second waist portion, the absorbent article comprising: a chassis having longitudinally opposite ends, transversely opposite sides defining respective side edges, a bodyside liner at least in part defining the inner surface of the article, an outer cover at least in part defining the outer surface of the article, and an absorbent core disposed between the liner and the outer cover; a pair of ears secured to and extending transversely outward from the opposite sides of the chassis at the second waist portion thereof; and a fastening system comprising a primary fastening system and a secondary fastening system, the primary fastening system comprising a primary first fastening component disposed on each of the pair of ears and a primary second fastening component disposed on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, the secondary fastening system comprising a secondary second fastening component on each of the pair of ears and a corresponding pair of spaced apart secondary first fastening components on the outer surface of the article at the first waist portion, each of the secondary first fastening components having a transversely inboard-most longitudinal edge that is disposed transversely inward of a transversely inboard-most point of the respective side edges and having a Gurley stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 185 milligrams according to a Gurley Stiffness Test, the secondary first fastening component further having a peak load corresponding to an edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 100 grams-force according to an Edge Stiffness Test; wherein the absorbent article includes a pair of longitudinally extending foldlines disposed in the first waist portion, and wherein the inboard-most longitudinal edge of each of the secondary first fastening components is transversely outward and spaced apart from a respective longitudinally extending foldline at least a distance equal to a predetermined process range.
 32. The absorbent article set forth in claim 31 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 160 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test.
 33. The absorbent article set forth in claim 31 wherein the secondary first fastening component has an average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 180 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on a sample size of at least 10 samples.
 34. The absorbent article set forth in claim 33 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 160 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 10 samples.
 35. The absorbent article set forth in claim 34 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 140 milligrams according to the Gurley Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 10 samples.
 36. The absorbent article set forth in claim 31 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 80 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test.
 37. The absorbent article set forth in claim 31 wherein the secondary first fastening component has an average peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 90 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on a sample size of at least 5 samples.
 38. The absorbent article set forth in claim 37 wherein the secondary first fastening component has the average peak load corresponding to the edge stiffness in the longitudinal direction of the article of less than 80 grams-force according to the Edge Stiffness Test based on the sample size of at least 5 samples. 